Alfonso Ribeiro Weighs In On Anna Delvey’s DWTS Elimination Comments

Anna Delvey he brought something of shock with him Dancing with the Stars opt out of the interview, but cohost Alfonso Ribeiro he could understand where the prisoner was coming from.

“What I have to tell you is, live live,” said the 53-year-old woman during the episode on Wednesday, September 25. Speech. “And it can be scary when it’s live.”

Ribeiro admitted that Delvey’s comments were “obviously not the response any of us would have expected,” joking that the controversial contestant was “obviously a trendsetter” during her short time on the show. With a bad moment behind them, Ribeiro is very sympathetic to Delvey’s experience.

“For him and his journey … it’s really difficult in that situation, because you’re told, ‘Bye.’ You stink, you’re not good, we don’t want you here,’” he explained. “And at the end of the day, like, you have to react to that.”

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Actor – who previously won season 19 of DWTS and professional partner Whitney Carson before being named showrunner in 2022 – admitted Delvey was “destroyed” on social media after the cast for season 33 was announced earlier this month because of his criminal background. Audience perception did not change much after her first two performances with a professional dancer Ezra Sosa.

“It was a sincere response,” added Ribeiro. “Like, ‘What am I going to take away from this? Pain, pain, suffering.’”

Delvey, 33, and Sosa, 23, were sent home after two eliminations on Tuesday, September 24, and Tori Spelling and pro Pasha Pashkov. When asked at the end of the show what he got out of it, Delvey simply said, “Nothing.” (Sosa told later More that he “expected nothing less” than a “historic” response from Delvey.)

The comments made waves within the DWTS the public, and the judge Carrie Ann Inaba I tell Entertainment Weekly he thought Delvey’s answer was “dismissing.” Speech‘s Amanda Klootswho appeared on season 30 of the ABC dance competition, was also unimpressed.

“That incident … changed my life,” he said when speaking to Ribeiro on Wednesday. “It was here in a way I didn’t expect, and he could have had that. And it’s up to him to go up there – and I know it might just be [a few] weeks and partners before – Ezra is an amazing dancer, an amazing friend, an amazing dance partner. And I can only imagine what he gave her in the churches they worked together.”

Kloots, 42, continued, “I think it was a shame that he said he didn’t get anything. I really do.”

Ribeiro said he would not object, but reminded Kloots that they had gone further in the competition than Delvey. (Kloots and pro Alan Bersten finished fourth in their season.)

“My life has changed a lot from what happened in that program. … [But] it’s hard to be in the front,” he said about the finish line. “Everybody I’ve talked to who was kicked out first, it’s the hardest position.”

Kloots, however, said Delvey should still “always be grateful for the experience” no matter when he is sent home.

Despite the controversy surrounding Delvey’s casting and exit, Ribeiro saw a different side of him behind the scenes. “He actually, you know, came out of his skin a little bit and started looking like he was having fun,” he said. “It’s sad, because whatever the reason behind this program, he couldn’t show it because he was stuck in his head. … He did not allow anyone to pass.”

Dancing with the Stars simulcast on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8 pm ET. Episodes are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ the following day.