The judges were harsher than usual during last night’s Dancing With the Stars premiere, but the celebrity who took the biggest beatdown of all wasn’t even a contestant on the show.
The Bashing of Beyoncé on AGT
After former Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke performed a cha-cha full of fun energy and sex appeal, the judges had their say. Len Goodman commented unfavorably on the amount of “hip-thrusting and gyrating”, something he often points out as taking away from the actual dance content. But this time, he took it a step further, saying there was a lot of “Beyoncé stuff in there [he wasn’t] a fan of”. And viewers were NOT happy with that little name drop.
Twitter Defended Beyonce Post DWTS And We Are Here For It
Is Len Sexist, Racist Or Both?
The Beyhive is obviously very protective of their queen, but some fans have pointed out the possible deeper implications of Len’s words. Was he simply criticizing the dance as a cha-cha, or does he have other issues with Beyoncé and her style of dancing – which is important to note is considered very empowering to many women? (It’s worth mentioning Len has said something like this at least once for the past few seasons – often to women of color like Ally and Beyoncé herself – so that’s why it’s feeling like it might be more than just an offhand comment.)
While talking to ET after the show, Ally and her partner Sasha Farber defended Queen Bey. Sasha said, “The first thing [Ally did] when she came down [the stairs] was a traditional Cha Cha step. So I’m like, ‘What are we looking at here?’ Beyoncé’s in right now, right?”
“We love Beyoncé!” Ally chimed in. “Who doesn’t love Beyoncé? Whatevs. Honestly, I had so much fun out there. Hearing the judges’ reactions was, of course, tough, but that’s OK. It’s just notes to get better. I knew this was day one and I want to grow more and more from here.”
Ally and Sasha scored a 5-5-6 for a possible 16 out of 30 points. Did you agree with the score and Len’s comments? Sound off in the comments below!
