“For the people who think body shaming is okay, especially in front of your children, that sends a powerful message about what you value,” the former DTWS pro said. “And clearly it’s not kindness.”
Cheryl Burke is speaking out following criticism of her scoring — and her physical appearance — on Dancing with the Stars.
On Thursday, the two-time Mirrorball champion shared an Instagram video, in which she reflected on returning as a guest judge for Tuesday’s Halloween night episode of DWTS, and addressed those who weren’t happy with her judging. She also responded to comments she received from body-shamers, appearing to refer to remarks made by contestant Alix Earle’s stepmom, Ashley Dupré.
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“After taking a day to really sit with everything — the feedback from my guest judging, the body-shaming remarks, the kind words, the harsh ones, and everything in between — here’s where I’m at…,” Burke captioned her video.
The 41-year-old began her video by saying that it was “so great being back in the ballroom and just seeing some of the cast and crew who I’ve grown up with on this show the past 20 years,” adding that “for those that I didn’t see, I hope to cross paths with you come the 20th anniversary episode.”
“Now, I don’t normally do this, but I want to first say out loud that I am actually proud of myself for being able to really get my point across in just a few seconds that I had because that’s what I was the most nervous about as far as any feedback or constructive criticism that I expressed while guest judging,” she continued. “And I hope that what was said is something that can be helpful to the remaining couples. I mean, my goal was just to be able to give any helpful notes if needed because that’s all I can really do. In all transparency, when I competed, I wish there was more.”
“My hope was as a guest judge and my goal was, whatever was said, is that it’s something that they can actually take back into the dance studio and improve on if they choose to,” she added. “And that’s just how the show works. The show is about growth. It’s about progression. It’s not about perfection. And it’s definitely about each couple’s personal journey. How can anyone grow or improve if they feel they don’t get enough constructive criticism, which some pro dancers shared openly about.
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The Dance Moms alum went on to touch on her commentary about the performances, saying, “My comments didn’t just come out of nowhere. It came from personal experience. It came from being on this show for 26 seasons, and it also came from all the years of being trained, being coached myself, and I have seen so many mixed reviews, which is totally fine.”
“But what’s not okay is I’ve also seen so many aggressive ones and a lot of body shaming ones,” she continued. “And also some amazing and beautiful messages and even some constructive criticism, which I am all here for. I know that I did the best that I could with the information that I had and with what I saw in real time.”
“For the people who think body shaming is okay, especially in front of your children, that sends a powerful message about what you value,” she said. “And clearly it’s not kindness. I was simply again, doing my job as a judge, giving feedback based on almost 20 years of my life, and if my score was different from the other judges, it was by one point.”
Burke ended her video by stressing that she has “dedicated my whole life towards being a competitor of ballroom dancing,” and that you “don’t have to agree with my critique, but you do have to recognize the influence your words have on the next generation watching you.”
“If that’s the example you choose to set, then please, I beg of you leave my name out of it,” she concluded.
While Burke didn’t refer to anyone by name, she seemed to be addressing recent remarks made by contestant Alix Earle’s stepmom, Ashley Dupré, about her appearance, which Dupré posted in response to how Burke scored Earle.
During Tuesday’s episode, the 24-year-old TikTok star performed a tango with her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy, dancing to Billie Eilish’s “Bury a Friend.” While judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli gave Earle the highest score of 10, Burke gave her a 9.
Earle’s stepmom shared a TikTok video of herself and her daughter, Izabel, watching and reacting to Earle’s performance, along with the judges’ critques. After Burke’s score of 9 was revealed, Dupré said, “Ah, go take more Ozempic!”
“Go take more Ozempic?” her daughter asked, to which Dupré replied, “What? She looks weird. Doesn’t even look like her.”
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In recent years, Burke has continued to speak out against comments about her appearance, with the professional dancer shutting down rumors that she’s had plastic surgery, fillers, or bleached her skin.
In an Instagram post shared in August, Burke addressed speculation in the caption of her post, going through each rumor one by one.
“Let’s clear this up for the 1,000th time… Botox? Yes. Surgery? No. Fillers? No. Scars? Nonexistent,” she wrote.
“Skin bleaching? Nope,” she continued. “My skin tone shift is just what happens when you swap tanning beds for SPF and let your natural half-Pinay, half-white self come through.”
“That’s it. That’s the ‘mystery,'” Burke added. “You can age gracefully and still enjoy a little Botox. Stop confusing it with plastic surgery 😉.”
