8
Credit: Screenshot, 'The View', ABCIn 2004, a new dancing show premiered on BBC called Strictly Come Dancing. The new show paired professional ballroom dancers with recognizable celebrities. The professional dancers would teach the celebs classic dances like the Cha Cha, the Tango, the Salsa, the Foxtrot, and more.
They would then perform the dances in front of a panel of judges, who give them scores, but ultimately, it is the viewers who decide who stays and who goes.
Related: After Brutal Assault, Wife of ABC Star Files For Divorce
Sound familiar?
One year after Strictly Come Dancing premiered on the BBC, Dancing with the Stars premiered in the U.S., and it was just as big a hit as the show it was based on. In the nearly 20 years since DWTS premiered, some of the professional dancers have become household names — like Derek and Julianne Hough — and dozens of celebrities have taken a spin around the ballroom.
Over the years, Dancing with the Stars and ABC have been called out for some of their controversial casting choices. However, they have never been called out by a fellow ABC star. But that all changed when Whoopi Goldberg used her platform on The View to blast the show for casting socialite, con artist, and convicted felon, Anna Delvey.
Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin, first gained notoriety in 2018, when her ex-friend Rachel Williams wrote an article for Vanity Fair. The article detailed the friendship between Delvey and Williams, which was destroyed when Delvey scammed Williams out of thousands of dollars and cost Williams her job.
Related: ABC Star Arrested For Beating Wife Now Wants Spousal Support
Delvey was arrested in 2017, and in 2019, was ultimately convicted of attempted grand larceny, larceny in the second degree, and theft of services. She not only scammed friends and notable members of New York’s social elite, but also banks out of millions of dollars when she pretended to be a German heiress.
Anna Delvey/Anna Sorokin was sentenced to four to twelve years in prison, but after two years, she was remanded to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement so she could be deported. Delvey is currently living in New York as she fights her deportation. The convicted con artist is required to wear an ankle monitor at all times.
Whoopi Goldberg Calls Out Her Own Network
Delvey’s casting was very controversial, especially since she has expressed no remorse for her actions. She has even said that she would not say that she was sorry, because she doesn’t regret what she did.
One of the people who was disgusted and irate over Delvey’s casting was The View host Whoopi Goldberg. Goldberg used her platform on the hit talk show to let ABC and the entire Dancing with the Stars casting department know just how upset she was.
“I think back to all the families who’ve had family members arrested by ICE, who have gone to the courts to get their dad or their mother or their brother back. And this woman, they gave her permission to go do this. Now, should I think there’s a reason. Is there a two-tiered system here with ICE?”
“She still owes people money. I don’t understand why she gets to stay!”
Related: Whoopi Goldberg Stuns Audience With ‘Sister Act’ Reboot
Goldberg’s costar, Joy Behar, said that Delvey was cast on the show because she was pretty. Which, if true, angered Goldberg even more, since pretty criminals should not be treated with more leniency.
“Well that’s a little bit of a piss-off, I have got to tell you. You know, I like pretty people too, but I gotta say, I’m listening to people bitch about what’s going on at the border and I’m listening to people bitching about who shouldn’t be here — well what the hell, man? How does this work?”
“This is a [f— you] in the face of a lot of people who have been trying to make their way back to this country and families torn apart.”
Delvey was given special permission to travel to California to film Dancing with the Stars. When she performed her first dance with her partner, Ezra Sosa, viewers were shocked to see that she had actually bedazzled her ankle monitor.
Anna Delvey Fights Back
While a lot of people might have agreed with Goldberg about Delvey’s casting, Anna Delvey was not one of them. Just one day after Ms. Goldberg made her comments, Delvey fought back and demanded an on-air apology from the Sister Act (1992) star.
In a statement to Page Six, Delvey said that Goldberg needed to get her facts straight and said that she did not owe anyone any money.
“While you are entitled to your own opinions, you should at least get your facts straight. I served my time and paid everyone back in full three-plus years ago. Looking forward to your on-air correction. Stay nasty ladies, but don’t forget to vote Sept. 17!”
September 17 was the first day that voting opened on Dancing with the Stars.
As part of her sentencing, Delvey was ordered to pay $24,000 in fines and $199,000 in restitution. Her story was turned into a Netflix original series — Inventing Anna — and Delvey was reportedly paid $320,000. She was ordered to use that money to pay her victims and her fines, which she did.
The Ladies of The View Apologize
About two weeks after Ms. Devley demanded an apology from the show, she actually received one.
On September 16, shortly before the show ended and the day before the premiere of season 33 of Dancing with the Stars, cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin read a prepared statement, saying that the women were wrong to say that Delvey still owed people money.
“We recently discussed Anna Delvey, the convicted fraudster, noting she will be on Dancing with the Stars and questioning the fairness of her being on the show as it is an opportunity that most other convicted criminals and immigrants seeking asylum simply do not have. After that discussion, we heard from Miss Delvey’s lawyer who strongly objected to our saying that, quote, she still owes people money.”
“He argued that statement falsely suggests she still owes restitution to her fraud victims. And he provided a document from the Office of Victim Services that he says proves, quote, all of Miss Delvey’s restitution has been repaid in full and all the victims have been fully compensated, end quote. We are all looking forward to the new season of Dancing with the Stars premiering tomorrow night right here on ABC.”
Related: ABC Star Slams Donald Trump’s Controversial Running Mate
Ms. Delvey’s lawyer, Duncan Levin, thanked the woman of The View for their apology and said that his client had paid her debts and deserved a second chance. He did not mention the fact that Delvey has said that she is not sorry for what she did.
“We are thankful that The View has corrected their false and defamatory statements about Ms. Delvey. Like so many others, Anna has made mistakes and, most importantly, she has made amends by serving both time in prison and repaying all her debts in full. Anna deserves a second chance and accepts The View’s apology.”
Dancing with the Stars premiered on ABC and Disney+ on September 17. Unlike the past two seasons, no celebrity was eliminated in the premiere episode. However, the next elimination will be a double elimination.
Anna Delvey and Ezra Sosa scored 18 points for their first dance, leaving them in the middle of the pack. However, it is up to the viewers to decide who stays and who goes.
This season of Dancing’s celebrity cast also includes former pro athletes Dwight Howard and Danny Amendola; actor Eric Roberts; Olympians Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik; reality stars Phaedra Parks and Jenn Tran; model Brooks Nader; and actress Tori Spelling. This year’s judges are Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
Do you think Dancing with the Stars should allow convicted felons to compete on its show? Has its casting gotten out of hand? Let us know in the comments!