DWTS’ Carrie Ann Inaba Responds to Claims She’s More Critical of Women

Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba is responding to critics who think she is harsher when handing out scores to the female celebrity contestants..

“I think that it is partly true. I am the woman on the panel, and I understand what it is to be a woman, so I can get into more detail about what I’m seeing,” Inaba, 57, shared with Variety in an interview published on Tuesday, November 11. “Because I support women so much, I let them know what I see because they are working so hard. I always feel it’s my responsibility if I sense somebody hasn’t given it their all because I don’t want them to walk away with regret.”

For 34 seasons, Inaba has been handing out scores to the celebrity contestants and their professional counterparts onABC’s hit competition series. As she continues offering feedback alongside Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, the professional choreographer admits she doesn’t get it right every single time.

“None of us are ever 100 percent right. But I’m willing to risk that, and speak to them so that they have the opportunity to grow,” Inaba explained. “And when I speak woman to woman, I’m maybe a bit more frank. Maybe because I feel like women are tougher than men in some ways. This is how I speak with my girlfriends — very blunt and to the point, because I know they want the information. I think there is some truth to what they’re saying, but it’s not exactly what they’re saying.”

While Inaba admits she sometimes reads the comments and “always” takes them into consideration, she finds it “very ironic” that some of her harshest critics are also women.

“I go back and I review, and I try to understand why it feels that way,” she said. “But in general, I think people are tougher on women. And what’s funny is they’re accusing me of being tougher on women while they’re being tougher on a woman.”

One memorable moment from season 34 of Dancing With the Stars came when the longtime judge was booed by the audience when giving feedback to Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov during Dedication Night.

Inaba later apologized, saying she was sorry if Fishel, 44, was “hurt” by her words. The Boy Meets World actress later clarified she was “not.”

“People blamed me about Danielle Fishel going home, and I had to look back at the scores,” Inaba said. “My scores were not the lowest scores. That’s fans passionate for Danielle, and I can see the positive in that. And if they come at me for scoring Whitney [Leavitt] and Mark Ballas well, it’s because they love Alix Earle. There’s always a positive to even the most negative comments.”

As the show prepares to celebrate its 20th Birthday Party episode on Tuesday, Inaba continues to focus on the positive. Despite the backlash over a few of her scores, she even calls this season her favorite.

“This renewed vigor, this new audience that has come to the table and has brought so much passion and so many opinions,” she explained. “I love this new TikTok generation that has changed the game. It’s really exciting. From day one, it’s just been an honor, because dance is my life. I have dedicated my whole life to dance and live television.”

Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.

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