Harry Shum Jr. is issuing a poignant message about Dancing With the Stars amid online discourse surrounding season 35.
“Reminder that this is a dance show. It is supposed to be joyous,” Shum, 44, wrote via Instagram on Friday, October 16. “People are suffering in the world already, so let’s celebrate each other with more love. I’ll go first.”
In subsequent slides, the Grey’s Anatomy actor paid each of his fellow DWTS celebrity contestants a compliment – or two — regarding their respective ballroom journeys.
“Guillermo [Rodriguez] — how you rallied the people at home and even us on the show to celebrate what dance should mean to people,” Shum added of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! personality, who was eliminated during Super Bowl Night on Tuesday, October 13. “The joy was bursting through every step you took. I love you, man.”
Shum further noted that he enjoys speaking to Connor Wood “about anything” before watching his entertaining routines.
“It feels like a kid getting to do the thing you’ve always wanted to do, but never got a chance to,” he added of the comedian, 31, going on to praise Tatyana Ali’s focus and inspirational journey in the ballroom. “You’ve been an advocate for mothers holding on to their joy while doing one of the hardest jobs on the planet — being a mother. You continue to reveal parts of you that we may not have known. Your dances on the stage inspire so many people.”
Shum also marveled at Jackson Olson for balancing DWTS with his Savannah Bananas game schedule, Maura Higgins’ onstage elegance, Amber Glenn’s commitment, as well as Tyler Cameron’s “confidence and smoothness.” He also felt “so happy” watching Julia Stiles revisit her Save the Last Dance routine on Tuesday and is completely in awe of Paralympian Ezra Frech.
“I’m just blown away by your charisma and ability to move the way you do,” Shum gushed about Frech, 21. “You have an aura that oozes confidence, and the fact that you’re only 21 with this level of maturity is inspiring to many. You’re showing people that limitations exist only in your mind and you shatter those limitations every time you hit the stage.”
In addition, Shum praised how “powerhouse” Jenna Dewan handles DWTS feedback.
“Watching you take criticism with grace and just laying it all out on the dance floor each week, I go, ‘That’s the Jenna I know and love,’” he added before concluding with a message to himself. “[I’m] proud of you for not letting anyone take your light and spark away no matter how much they try. Keep being you.”
Shum recently danced a samba with pro partner Jenna Johnson on Tuesday, inspired by Usher’s 2024 Super Bowl halftime show. The routine, however, was criticized by the judges for its technical mishaps and an illegal lift. (Two members of the troupe helped Shum complete a backflip mid-routine, moments before Johnson’s foot appeared to come off the floor while completing a one-legged spin.)
After Johnson, 32, questioned whether she accidentally included a lift in the routine against the rules, judge Carrie Ann Inaba defended her take.
“A lift is — I just need to say it — any movement during which one of the dancers has both feet off the floor at the same time with the assistance or support of their partner,” Inaba, 58, read aloud a printed definition. “Yeah. Lift.”
Johnson has since cleared the air with Inaba, while the two-time mirrorball champ’s husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, appeared to threaten to slap the judge in defense of his wife. Chmerkovskiy, 40, ultimately publicly apologized for his remarks.
“I have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally and I also want to apologize publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside our internal DWTS family,” he wrote in a Thursday, October 15, statement shared via social media. “I should never have made the reference that I did and I deeply regret it. I recognize that I am in a fortunate position to have a platform and to be a role model to some.”
He concluded, “I need to treat that with more care by actively pausing to think before I post to ensure what I am sharing aligns with who I am, and who I want to be for you all.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
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