‘DWTS’ Judge Carrie Ann Inaba Offers Health Update After Leaving ‘The Talk’

In August, it was announced that Carrie Ann Inaba would be leaving The Talk after three seasons. Her announcement came several months after she took a leave of absence from the talk show in order to focus on her health as she has been battling a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease. Now, months after her departure, Inaba has shared an update on her health and revealed whether she was ever considering leaving Dancing With the Stars. 

During an interview with Hello! Magazine, Inaba said that wanted to be “well” enough for Season 30 of DWTS. So, it makes sense that she would take a step back from The Talk in order to focus on her duties at her “home base” a.k.a. DWTS. She said, “I never considered stepping back from DWTS. Although I will share that the only way I could do that was to leave The Talk. I was scared. And that fear turned to motivation and I worked so hard in these last six months to get well again.”

Inaba also explained that she tested positive for COVID-19 in December and that gave her another reminder to put her health first. When it comes to how she’s doing today, she shared that she is “feeling healthier than I have in years.” Inaba said that her healing process has involved “bringing back movement into my life.” She continued, “When you are in the kind of pain I have been experiencing all day every day for such an extended amount of time, movement is the last thing you want to do. You don’t think it’s possible. And that is depressing for someone who moved her whole life. It’s debilitating for your mind, body and spirit.” 

Inaba is adamant about sharing her own experience in order to help others. She recently launched Carrie Ann Conversations, which features her talking with experts, sharing tips, and talking about her own “intense journey” with her health. The DWTS personality said about the project, “I just want to help other people who are in pain both physically and mentally.” 

She first announced that she would be taking a leave of absence from The Talk back in April. Months later, she revealed that she would not be making a return to the series, telling her fans, “I am filled with immense gratitude for my journey on [The Talk]. It has been a wonderful experience and an honor to have been the moderator at The Talk, following in the footsteps of two women I very much respect [Julie Chen Moonves] and [Sara Gilbert].”