'Dancing With the Stars' Pro Doesn't Mince Words About Anna Delvey

Maksim Chmerkovskiy isn't a fan of Anna Delvey's 'DWTS' casting on Season 33.

By Anna Rumer

Maksim Chmerkovskiy isn't mincing words when it comes to his thoughts about Anna Delvey competing on Dancing With the Stars Season 33. The former DWTS pro, 44, called out ABC for casting the 33-year-old convicted felon during his appearance on the TMZ Podcast on Monday, Sept. 23, 

"To me, [Delvey's] job was a professional liar," he told the outlet, adding, "You're gonna bring that person [on stage] and say, 'Here's a platform that a lot of people waited their entire actual career to be a part of,' to also get a moment of a personal story [where they] can say, 'This is who I actually am.' Will I believe anything this lady says? Absolutely not."

EZRA SOSA, ANNA DELVEY
(Photo: Disney/Eric McCandless)

Chmerkovskiy then judged Delvey's first performance as "not great" and "very kind of standoffish," adding bluntly, "You can blame the nerves and say, 'Hey, everybody's human and this person is not used to that stage.' Bulls-. Hold on a second – didn't she con people into believing she was, like, fully fashion this and special like that? And that takes a lot of guts. It takes a lot of self-control to present yourself a certain way, even if you're so nervous. I don't buy this 'she was nervous' stuff. She's a s-y dancer, and [her] personality is not really going to help her in this competition."

Delvey was arrested in 2017 on multiple counts of grand larceny and misdemeanor theft and released from prison on parole in 2021. She was later put on house arrest after being taken into custody for overstaying her visa, a fact she made clear during her DWTS premiere by showcasing her bedazzled ankle monitor.

Related:

CARRIE ANN INABA, DEREK HOUGH, BRUNO TONIOLI, ALFONSO RIBEIRO, ANNA DELVEY, EZRA SOSA
(Photo: Disney/Eric McCandless)

Chmerkovskiy's comments about Delvey struck a chord with famed fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone, who defended her friend on her Instagram Story Monday. Posting a headline that quoted the pro dancer as calling Delvey a "s-y dancer," the 58-year-old wrote, "I thought this said SEXY!!!" Tagging Chmerkovskiy, she continued, "Did you mean Sassy or are you so pathetic that you cannot get on a show you have to attack someone? No one cares about your opinion." She added, "Dance yourself into a new reality."

Delvey's pro partner on Dancing With the Stars, Ezra Sosa, previously defended his teammate on TikTok after their first performance. "I know what she did was really controversial and was not right, and I can never justify that for her and for anyone in her life," Sosa said. "It's really hard for me because this person that I truly am just falling in love with every day in rehearsal, isn't the person that everyone sees in the media. No one deserves the amount of hate that she's getting right now. She deserves a second chance." 

Trending Now: