Former Dancing with the Stars pro Cheryl Burke is standing up for the judges — and calling out the social-media hate surrounding season 34.
After competing on the show for 26 seasons, Cheryl is making her grand return to the ballroom as a guest judge for Tuesday night’s Halloween episode.
“I was never going to say no to this! It’s so special, it’s surreal,” Cheryl told Page Six.
“A lot of people know that I wanted to be given a chance to judge. So I’m just happy that they’re giving me this chance. I’m grateful.”
Since retiring in 2022, Cheryl admits she’s noticed how much more intense online chatter has become.
Between claims of “preferential celebrity pairings” and Carrie Ann Inaba’s allegedly “harsh” scores, fans have had plenty to say this season — not all of it kind.
Cheryl Enters the Chat
“For the newer fans, what they should realize is you can’t compare the couples, because they’re not doing the same dance style,” the two-time mirrorball champ explained.
“I would love for them to go check out an authentic local dance competition, just to see what it’s really like.”
She added that comparing ballroom and contemporary routines — especially with different music genres and partner skill levels — is “impossible.”
Even so, Cheryl’s thrilled to be back at the judges’ table.
“Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. You’re never going to please everybody,” she said.
“And I don’t think Carrie Ann or any of the judges try to — otherwise they wouldn’t have lasted this long.”
While Cheryl accepts that viewer feedback comes with the territory, she believes social-media platforms need to take bullying more seriously.
Especially when it targets pros who juggle choreography, performance, and fan expectations all at once.
“Everything, from your reaction to when you get called safe — everybody’s watching. And nowadays, on TikTok, they express that. You have to really be paranoid about it.”
