Carrie Ann Inaba is speaking out as Dancing With the Stars Season 35 becomes increasingly divided over judging, favoritism accusations and the treatment of contestants online.
The longtime judge entered the debate after a fan said they were being labeled an “online bully” simply for expressing the opinion that Guillermo Rodriguez had advanced farther than other contestants they believed deserved to remain.
Carrie Ann responded directly.
She acknowledged how passionate the DWTS fanbase can become and defended the viewer’s right to criticize what happens on the show without automatically being labeled a bully.
“Truth does not equal bullying,” Carrie Ann wrote.
But her next remark quickly attracted even more attention.
Carrie Ann added that “a lower score doesn’t mean someone else is a ‘favorite.’”
That sentence went directly to one of the biggest accusations surrounding her judging this season.
Some viewers have repeatedly argued that Carrie Ann scores certain contestants more harshly than others, while other performances appear to receive more generous treatment.
Carrie Ann clearly rejects that interpretation.
According to the judge, there is a broader problem happening within the fandom.
Carrie Ann said some viewers become so emotionally invested in particular celebrities that criticism of a dance can begin to feel like a personal attack against the contestant themselves.
From her perspective, those are two very different things.
The judges are evaluating what happens on the ballroom floor, she argued, not attacking the people performing.
The timing of Carrie Ann’s comments is especially interesting because she had just experienced one of her most uncomfortable moments of Season 35.
During Mariah Carey Night, Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson performed a Samba to Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed.”
Guillermo once again struggled technically and received only 13 out of 30, leaving the pair at the bottom of the leaderboard.
But Carrie Ann’s score wasn’t the part that triggered the biggest reaction.
Her comments did.
Carrie Ann questioned where Guillermo’s usual joy had gone and suggested that he appeared to be “dimming” the personality that had made him so popular with viewers.
The ballroom immediately responded with loud boos.
Carrie Ann defended herself in the moment, reminding the audience that judging the performance was her job before explaining that she wanted Guillermo to continue showing the energy that made people connect with him.
Witney Carson strongly disagreed with that interpretation.
She later explained that Guillermo’s more serious expression had been intentional because they were portraying a diva-like character for “Obsessed.”
Witney argued that Carrie Ann had mistaken acting and characterization for a loss of enthusiasm.
She subsequently called the criticism “out of pocket” and publicly doubled down on her defense of Guillermo.
That disagreement helped turn one judges’ comment into a much larger discussion about how Guillermo is being evaluated.
Carrie Ann has now indirectly pushed back against some of that criticism.
She did not withdraw what she said about Guillermo, nor did she apologize for his score.
Instead, her latest message emphasizes that disagreement does not automatically equal bias.
Giving one contestant a lower number, she argues, isn’t proof that another contestant is receiving preferential treatment.
That point matters because Carrie Ann has faced increasing scrutiny over several Season 35 scores.
Her decision to award Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas the season’s first 9 drew debate because Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli both stayed at 8.
Other viewers questioned why Carrie Ann scored Amber Glenn lower than Derek and Bruno on the same night.
Those disagreements helped fuel online claims of inconsistency and favoritism.
But there is no evidence that Carrie Ann is deliberately favoring particular contestants.
What exists is a disagreement between viewers and a judge over how performances should be scored.
Carrie Ann’s latest message appears designed to draw that distinction much more clearly.
And Guillermo remains right in the middle of the conversation.
Despite receiving some of the lowest judges’ scores of Season 35, he and Witney continue surviving because public votes are combined with the judges’ points.
That has frustrated some viewers while turning Guillermo into an even bigger underdog favorite among others.
It has also intensified arguments about whether DWTS should primarily reward technical dancing, improvement, entertainment value or popularity.
Carrie Ann seems comfortable allowing that disagreement to exist.
She has previously said differing opinions are part of what makes the show work because viewers ultimately get their own say through voting.
But her latest response also contains a warning for the fandom.
Supporting a favorite contestant doesn’t mean every criticism of that contestant is personal.
And disagreeing with a judge doesn’t necessarily mean that judge is playing favorites.
As Guillermo Rodriguez heads into another week of competition, that distinction may become even more important.
The judges will keep scoring.
The viewers will keep voting.
And judging by the reaction to Carrie Ann’s latest remarks, the argument over where criticism ends and favoritism begins is far from over.
