Stars, controversies, blackface — Julianne Hough has danced with 'em all. From talking smack to body shaming, Hough can't waltz away from these shady moments.
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00:00Stars, controversies, blackface — Julianne Hough has danced with them all. From talking
00:06smack to body-shaming, Hough can't waltz away from these shady moments.
00:11Even off the dance floor, Hough has landed herself in hot water for making questionable
00:15decisions. One of her worst errors in judgment came in 2013 when she donned blackface makeup
00:21while portraying the character of Crazy Eyes from Orange is the New Black for Halloween.
00:25That controversy reared its head again when it was announced in 2021 that Hough would
00:29participate in the now-defunct reality show The Activist, which was criticized online
00:34for being tone-deaf, and subsequently brought the blackface controversy back into the limelight.
00:39Hough wrote on Instagram,
00:40"...wearing blackface was a poor choice based on my own white privilege and white body bias
00:45that hurt people and is something that I regret doing to this day."
00:49Hough has been involved with Dancing with the Stars on and off since she first became
00:53a pro dancer on the show in 2007. She eventually made her way to the judging table and began
00:57serving as co-host of the show in 2023. But throughout all of her positions on the show,
01:03her dancing roots have not been far behind her, and she's been brutally honest about
01:06a number of the contestants over the years.
01:09One of those contestants was Mirrorball champion and popular radio host Bobby Bones. In fact,
01:14of all the seasons of the show, Hough thought he was the only one who didn't deserve the
01:18win.
01:20Bones, for his part, hit back on Instagram, writing,
01:27"...I was the worst dancer. I take pride in that. But you know who took down the big evil
01:31empire of dance? Well, it's not evil or an empire, but me and you. We did it together."
01:36Bones' partner, Sharna Burgess, was also caught in the crossfire, recently admitting on the
01:40Between Us Moms podcast that Hough's comments stung. She said,
01:44"...it also sucks that, of all the incredible seasons I had, I'm remembered as the win that
01:49no one wanted."
01:50"...it just sucks. Like, it does hurt a little bit, because I wish I could have left a good
01:56legacy."
01:57It's not just contestants that Julianne Hough has called out on Dancing with the Stars.
02:01She's also taken aim at her fellow dancing pros. While serving as a guest judge on the
02:05show in 2013, Hough took aim at fellow dancer Mark Ballas after his performance with celebrity
02:10partner Christina Milian. She told Milian,
02:13"...I really wanted to see you shine. I danced with Mark. You have to stand in front to make
02:18sure you're seen."
02:20Audiences didn't miss the unsaid implication that Ballas hogs the spotlight, and neither
02:24did Ballas.
02:25"...she put a little sting on me, but that's okay. I mean, you know, if that's how she
02:29felt, that's how she felt. You know, it is what it is."
02:34Hough also came after Maxim Shmerkovskiy when she served as a guest judge in 2014.
02:39When he danced with a different partner that week, Hough suggested his performance was
02:43a big drop in quality, saying he, quote, "...had to phone it in."
02:46Shmerkovskiy was none too pleased, as he shared on Good Morning America afterwards, saying,
02:51"...Julianne has my number. Whenever she wants to call and apologize, I'm ready."
02:55It doesn't sound like that scar ever healed. When Max and his brother Val were asked about
03:00Hough joining Alfonso Ribeiro as co-host, they couldn't resist the temptation to take
03:05a dig at Hough.
03:06What did you think about this choice?
03:09We were really happy for Alfonso, I mean…
03:13Even when the cameras are off, Hough has reportedly exhibited some high and mighty behavior. After
03:18the December 2023 season finale of Dancing with the Stars, a reported insider revealed
03:22to the U.S. Sun,
03:23"...Julianne had four to six hair, makeup, and wardrobe people around her at any given
03:28time. They were making sure she looked perfect and kept fixing her sparkly high boots so
03:32they wouldn't fall down."
03:34Taken on its own, well, that's show business. But apparently the diva behavior didn't stop
03:38there.
03:39During the season, in early 2024, Hough reportedly continued to act in a less-than-modest way
03:44behind the scenes. Another insider shared with the National Enquirer,
03:48"...Julianne is so full of herself and producers realize they have another diva on their hands.
03:53She acts like she's above it all. The problem is that no one thinks she's as great as she
03:57thinks she is, and viewers say she has a fake smile."
04:02Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's her years as a professional dancer, but either way,
04:06Julianne Hough has been known to be rather harsh while serving as a judge on Dancing
04:10with the Stars. When contestant Amber Rose danced with partner Maxim Shmurkovskiy in
04:14a 2016 episode, Hough wasn't feeling it.
04:17"...I actually feel a little uncomfortable."
04:19After the episode, Rose said she felt like she'd been body-shamed by the comment.
04:23"...What made her uncomfortable? Like, that's not fair, because the girls that are very
04:27slim and skinny, the professional dancers, she never says anything."
04:31Rose also talked about how she was hurt by the comment on her podcast. Eventually, Hough
04:35tried to clarify her side of things, saying,
04:37"...As a judge, I'm here to solely judge you and everyone in this competition for only
04:42the dancing."
04:44Hough's harsh side has even come out in fights with her family, including her brother and
04:48fellow dance pro, Derek Hough. An insider shared with Life & Style in 2024,
04:53"...When one of their careers is going better than the other, honestly, I think Derek would
04:57rather be a host of Dancing than a judge, but Julianne got the gig. Jealousies arise
05:01and there's been bad blood between them in the past."
05:05Julianne didn't get into specifics, but hinted that they didn't always see eye-to-eye, saying,
05:09"...Our family is like any other family. We have our situations and our s----."
05:13But despite their differences and potential envies, Julianne has revealed that the two
05:17have been able to come together when it matters the most. After Derek's wife, fellow Dancing
05:21with the Stars pro Hailey Erbert, fell gravely ill in December 2023, the siblings swept aside
05:26their issues to come together for their family. Hough told People magazine,
05:30"...Something happens and it just is like a clean slate. There could have been little
05:34things just kind of looming or lingering in the background, but when you're left with
05:38life-or-death situations, nothing else matters. Whatever little things of competition there
05:42are or whatever it might be, those things just go away."