Carrie Ann Inaba is giving us the score on how it is to be the only female judge on Dancing with the Stars.
“There have been times where I’ve almost walked away,” the former In Living Color Fly Girl shared. Speaking at the Variety Women of Reality TV event on November 29, she continued, “As the only female judge for most of the seasons, I get a lot more hate than the men do.”
“I’m the judge who cries, yes that’s true,” she added. “People doubt what I say … I feel like I have to fight harder for my opinion to be honored.” Personally, I don’t mind the crying (I’m a cryer myself). But it does annoy me when she scores a dancer lower than the other judges for some minor infraction. Carrie Ann sees everything.
She’s a DWTS OG
Carrie Ann has been a DWTS judge since the show’s debut in June 2005. Well-versed in the rules of each dance style, she’s affectionately nicknamed the “Lift Police.” She often catches heat from fans for her honest critiques. I’ll admit, Carrie Ann frustrates me when she takes a point off a favorite dancer’s score for some minor infraction, but I realize she’s just doing her job.
“The biggest misconception about me is that what I do is easy,” she said earlier this month. ” I don’t know many people in this business who have kept a job for 32 seasons. What I do is complex and it takes courage. I show up and speak my truth in front of millions of people, and then I am accountable for it.”
Carrie Ann appreciated her inclusion in the Women of Reality TV. “[As women], we’re all carrying a load that’s a little different, and I feel that it’s such an honor that you guys see that.”
The Dancing With the Stars Season 32 finale airs December 5 at 8/7c on ABC.
TELL US – DO YOU USUALLY AGREE WITH CARRIE ANN’S SCORING ON DWTS? DO YOU THINK IT’S HARDER FOR HER AS THE ONLY FEMALE JUDGE? DO YOU THINK THERE IS SEXISM IN THE DWTS FANBASE?
