Julianne Hough is fully on board with Anna Delvey’s Dancing With the Stars casting.
“It’s controversial, for sure,” Hough, 36, told Grey’s Anatomy stars Jessica Capshaw and Camilla Luddington of the convicted felon on an episode of their “Call It What It Is” podcast, released on Monday, September 16. “I’m so obsessed.”
Both Hough and Luddington, 40, shared their excitement to see Delvey, 33, on the dance floor.
“Talk about controversy. But, then again, in a way that allows people to show their most true self. This is a great opportunity for her,” Hough continued. “But I just love it so much because I was obsessed with the show.”
Delvey (born Anna Sorokin) was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison after being convicted in May 2019 on one count of attempted grand larceny, three counts of grand larceny and four counts of theft after pretending to be a German heiress and scamming multiple financial institutions. She was released on parole in February 2021 and will serve out the remainder of her term on house arrest. Delvey recieved permission to relocate from New York City to Los Angeles in order to appear on DWTS.
Her story played out on the 2022 Netflix series Inventing Anna, starring Julia Garner.
Further discussing the upcoming season of DWTS, Hough offered some details about what it was like crossing paths with Delvey on set. Hough even revealed that Delvey’s ankle monitor has been “bedazzled” already.
“She plays into it,” Hough continued. “Whenever she says I have a great outfit on — I’ve seen her two or three times now — I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh.’”
Delvey spoke to Us Weekly exclusively about DWTS earlier this month after her casting was officially announced. Her partner, Ezra Sosa, revealed that Delvey only saw season 30, which aired in 2021.
“[It] is actually super ironic because the only time [Anna] has seen Dancing With the Stars was in jail,” Soza, 23, said.
Delvey, for her part, told Us that she’s not concerned about dancing with the ankle monitor.
“I mean, it’s fine. It’s just the same as, like, dancing without it, I think,” she said. “It’s pretty light. It’s not that bad.”
Sosa even joked that her left leg might get “super buffed” with the extra weight.
“Good!” Delvey said. “Because I’m wearing it on my right cuff [since] my right cuff is skinnier than the left.”
Dancing With the Stars season 33 premieres on ABC Tuesday, September 17, at 8 p.m. ET and concurrently on Disney+. Episodes will also be available the next day on Hulu.
