Carrie Ann Inaba Drops a Very Subtle Hint About Tension on 'Dancing With the Stars'
Anyone who watched Dancing With the Stars on Nov. 18 probably felt the tension that seemed to be brewing at the judges’ table.
Well, fans might have some subtle confirmation that at least one person didn’t exactly like what went down that night in the ballroom. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba has been liking comments on TikTok from viewers who felt like co-star Derek Hough was bullying her about her comments about contestant Whitney Leavitt, who was eliminated in the semifinals.
Inaba gave The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star some constructive feedback after her Cha Cha on Prince Night. She thought that Leavitt was “focusing on the technique” too much and wanted her to lean more into performing the dance.
“Carrie Ann, you are out of your mind,” Hough chimed in.
The situation didn’t get any better after Leavitt’s second dance when Inaba noted that she was docking her one point for “a bit of a hop.” Hough called his fellow judge “crazy” for even calling that out — and Dancing With the Stars fans were not exactly thrilled with his comment.
“Derek owes you an apology. He should not have acted that way. I think your scoring was on point,” wrote one supportive fan under Inaba’s Nov. 19 TikTok post. “… I hope Derek learns from his mistake.”
“You were spot on tonight. Derek needs to stop directing comments at you,” wrote another fan.
“Don’t let Derek’s hate get to you. You’re so valid. He was rude to call you crazy. Totally changed my perspective of him,” another viewer added. Fans certainly noticed Inaba’s “liking” activity, leading one follower to joke, “Her liking the comments about Derek is sending me.”
The conversation also carried over to a Dancing With the Stars Reddit thread that shows some viewers souring on Hough’s judging style this season.
“He constantly chases fan approval. More than half his reactions feel engineered to keep TikTok people happy. Look at how he acts toward CAI [Carrie Ann Inaba],” wrote on Reddit user. “He knows the online crowd hates her, and he leans into that just to play the fan-favorite card. It’s both disgusting and unprofessional.”
“It’s seems like he thinks the banter between judges is fun and that people are into it and doesn’t realize it comes across mean when the other person is trying to give real critiques and doesn’t want to spar with him,” another viewer added.
While neither Inaba nor Hough has indicated that they are feuding, Tuesday’s episode of the dance competition series felt tense. There is only one episode left for Season 34, so the duo will get some space after the three-hour finale wraps up on Nov. 25.
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