Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba is hitting back after being accused of harsh scoring by some viewers.

In the comments section of an Instagram post she shared on Wednesday, October 15, Inaba, 57, addressed the criticism sheâs received by DWTS fans who donât always agree with her scores.
âItâs okay to disagree about what we see. Thatâs what makes our show great,â she wrote. âYou have a say in the matter. We want you to vote for what you love and believe in. I appreciate your comment and the way you expressed your feelings. â€ïž thank you for your passion and your opinion.â
Inabaâs remark appeared to be in response to the many comments on the post, which took issue with the scores given to certain celebrities competing on the show.
âGiving Whitney [Leavitt] a 9 but Robert [Irwin] an 8, GIRLLL please get it together,â one follower wrote.
Another commented, âCan you explain why you gave Whitney a 9 when she was off beat and also has prior dance experience so she shouldnât be off beat, but Robert and even Jen [Affleck] had a beautiful dance, timing was impeccable and you scored them lower? Just confusing to watch and wondering what goes through your mind when giving those scores.â
Earlier this week, Inaba was booed by the DWTS audience when she delivered tough feedback during the Tuesday, October 14 episode of the reality show.
For the âDedication Nightâ episode, Boy Meets World alum Danielle Fishel and her dance partner Pasha Pashkov were joined on stage by the actressâ former costar William Daniels (a.k.a. Mr. Feeny).
While fans were touched by the inclusion of Daniels, 98, in the dance Inaba wasnât completely won over by the nostalgia factor alone.
âI love a throwback, but I have to say this,â Inaba began. âSome of your dances are starting to feel like Iâm watching the same dance over and over again.â
She continued, âTry to give a little bit more variety as far as dynamics. This is also on you, Pasha.â
The studio audience was heard audibly booing in response to Inabaâs comments.
Speaking exclusively to Us Weekly, Fishel, 44, said she wasnât offended by the judgeâs remarks, however.
âI absolutely understand what Carrie Ann was saying, and itâs the reason I did not take any offense to it,â she told Us on Tuesday. âI appreciate it.â
Inaba previously addressed the backlash and boos, telling Parade in October 2023 that she wasnât bothered by the negative reactions.
âThe whole point is we want people to have their opinions. The reason why people get invested in this competition is because they have an opinion, and it matters,â she told the outlet. âWe are one of the few [shows where ] judges actually hold up scores. So, what we do matters, but also what everybody does at home matters. So, itâs good that they boo. I think it shows that theyâre really supporting somebody.â
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.


