Cheryl Burke Defends Carrie Ann Inaba Amid ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Critics

Cheryl Burke is heading back to the ballroom. The longtime “Dancing With the Stars” pro, who exited at the end of Season 31 after competing on 26 seasons, is set to return as a guest judge during the Oct. 28 Halloween episode.

The two-time mirrorball winner has been vocal through the years about her love for the show; when she left, she admitted that she really hoped to be made a judge. While that didn’t happen, she’s “really excited” to be returning now in Season 34.

However, with the show becoming a huge hit again — last week’s tally of two-week voting hit 100 million — the pros, celebrities and judges have all also faced negative feedback online from very loud viewers. “When people are attacking you for stuff that’s not even in your control, that’s hard,” she tells Variety ahead of her return to the ballroom.

Below, she weighs in on the critiques of judge Carrie Ann Inaba‘s scoring, shares advice she has for pros amid the rise of social media chatter, hints at what kind of judge she’ll be when she returns to the ballroom and more.

I can’t believe it was three years ago we were talking about your exit. How do you feel about coming back as a guest judge?

Sometimes it feels like it was yesterday, but sometimes it feels like it was such a long time ago since I’ve been back. It’s so special, and it’s going to be so emotional. I am really excited to see everybody. It’s been so long. I’m excited to meet the new dancers and see the people behind the scenes, people that you don’t see on camera. I have so much history with this show. I never went to college, but if I left my home to go to a university or whatever, and hadn’t seen my parents for a few years, I’d assume this is the same reaction.

How did it come about? Did you reach out or did they call you?

I think they’ve always known that I wanted to. It was a mutual thing. They reached out, obviously, and we took it from there. And I was never gonna say no, they know that.

You were vocal about your disappointment when you weren’t invited back for Len Goodman’s tribute episode. Were you surprised at all to be invited back?

Yes and no. I was a part of that show for almost 20 years. There is an emotional rollercoaster that happens with any long-term relationship. But I believe we’ve all moved on. That happened a couple of years ago, and at the end of the day, they’re my family. Sometimes families butt heads, but for the most part, we all love each other.

You know a great deal of the specifics and technical aspects of ballroom. Do you plan to be strict as a judge?

I hope to be empowering and encouraging, but of course, I’m going to be constructive. I have 15 seconds to talk! That’s going to be the hardest part for me. Ultimately, I want to help these people. Yes, we’re going to compliment them if they did a great job. But I think for me, I really want to get into the technical aspect of things, regardless of the theme. I’m looking for authenticity between the two people dancing with one another, authenticity to the style of dance that was assigned.

There are a lot of loud fans on social media talking about the scoring and the judges’ feedback. What do you think about that?

I’m not surprised. I think it’s great, other than the bullying. That’s what’s really difficult, especially if you’re still part of the show, to not see it. Obviously, you want feedback, and you want, hopefully, a positive comment here and there. But when people are attacking you for stuff that’s not even in your control, that’s hard.

I was going to bring up that last week, Jan Ravnik, who’s doing his first season, immediately rolled his eyes when I asked about the social media aspect and talked about how much hate and negativity there is right now. What advice would you give, especially to the pros, about dealing with that?

I remember back in 2006, my mom would send me the message boards. They were really mean! I was like, “Mom, stop doing that. I don’t want to see it.” But it’s hard not to [look], especially when you’re at such a vulnerable spot. Jan has never done the show before! You have to have some major self-control not to scroll and not to look for people commenting about you. It’s kind of impossible. I think that you have to take it with a grain of salt. You also have to take yourself out of it for a second. In general, just focus on you, because that’s all you can do. He’s doing such a great job. It’s not easy going into a show that’s a well-oiled machine. He has done such an incredible job, considering that he stepped into something like this. It’s huge.

Andy Richter is still in the competition — something that everyone, including him, is surprised by. He’s so lovable, but obviously, his dancing isn’t at the level of some of the other celebrities. This week, he received three 7s. What do you feel about his journey and how he’s been scored?

This is nothing new to the show. Everyone’s so shocked. This has been happening. Welcome! I’m not surprised at all. This guy could easily make the finals. By the way, he’s staying authentic to who he is. And I think there’s no secret there. Emma [Slater] is a great partner. I don’t know if he would have gotten far with someone else, but that’s a credit to the casting director and the showrunners. They know the pros. The intention is always to try and support people. No one’s setting anyone up for failure.

In addition to the teams, the judges have also faced a lot of online criticism this season, especially Carrie Ann. How do you feel about that?

I agree that they go hard on her vs. the two men sitting there. And I think that’s always been the case, and she has openly talked about it, how it’s harder for her. I’ve experienced it, but in a different way; I’m outspoken about something vs. somebody who is a man, I do see the difference. But you don’t do it for the outside reaction. At the end of the day, this is her job, and she’s doing her job, and she’s doing it well.

Your “Dancing With the Stars” podcast ended last December, but at the time, you had said, “This isn’t goodbye, it is a ‘see you later.’” Do you plan to bring it back?

I don’t think so. I think that was a chapter, and it was a very busy chapter that took up all my time. It was more than a full-time job!

I know that a lot of the pros are coming back for the 20th anniversary show to dance. Will you be a part of that?

I will most likely be back. I don’t think I’m going to be performing.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

“Dancing With the Stars” airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu.