Howard Stern has been a longtime fan of “Dancing With the Stars.”
That fandom continues, and the show came up while Stern made a rare talk show appearance on Tuesday, September 29, sitting down with pal Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” during a week of shows in Brooklyn.
A Stern Opinion
During the conversation, the former “America’s Got Talent” judge discussed Kimmel’s sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, hitting the ballroom on “DWTS.”
“Listen, first thing I should say is… I don’t think we should vote for Guillermo. That’s number one,” Stern declared, earning a chorus of boos from the studio audience.
“And I’ll tell you why,” he added, pivoting to the fact that Rodriguez’s partner, pro dancer Witney Carson, is in the midst of a pregnancy.
“Wait, listen to me,” Stern told the audience. “The poor woman he’s dancing with is pregnant. They probably sat there in the back of the room and said, ‘Look, we’re gonna match you up with Guillermo. He’ll be off the first week. The guy can’t dance to save his life.’”
He added, “This poor woman doesn’t want to be on the show anymore and Guillermo is screwing everything up.”
That said, Stern said that he still wishes Rodriguez “luck” as he competes for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, adding, “What can I do?”
Kimmel then asked Stern if he felt Rodriguez should be eliminated because Carson remaining in the competition “could be a health issue” in the future.
“If you were pregnant, you wanna be sitting and trotting around with Guillermo?” Stern quipped, declaring that would be the “last thing” he’d want to do.
Defending Guillermo
Stern, of course, isn’t the first person to float the theory that Carson was deliberately partnered with Rodriguez so that his lack of dancing ability would ensure a quick exit due to her pregnancy.
Carson, however, has vehemently denied that.
After their first dance — a cha cha set to Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff” — earned 10 out of 30 points, the night’s lowest score, she took to Instagram Stories to defend him.
“Just from seeing everything online, I just wanted to give my two cents after being on this show for over a decade and watching it since I was 11,” she said in a video.
“This is not a dance competition,” she continued.
“Yes, of course, us pros take pride in, like, making the best dance possible, and we want our celebrities to become better. If it were truly a dance competition, every single celebrity would come into the competition with the same level of dance experience,” she added
“So it isn’t fair, and that’s the point. The point is to vote for your favorite, and that’s why the voting system is in place,” Carson argued. “So, just wanted to give my two cents.
Guillermo’s Bold Declaration
Rodriguez himself addressed the theory during an episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” when guest host Rosie O’Donnell brought it up.
“Now, I learned today that your dance partner is pregnant,” O’Donnell told Rodriguez.
“Yeah, she’s pregnant,” he confirmed. “That’s good for me because she takes a lot of breaks. You know, she’s got to drink water, stay hydrated and everything.”
O’Donnell then added, “I saw a lot of people speculating on the internet that you were paired up with the pregnant dancer because they think you’ll get eliminated early and then she can go home and rest. What do you have to say to those mean people.”
“Well, that’s not gonna happen because I’m trying my best, I’m working hard, and I wanna go all the way to the finals!” Rodriguez replied, eliciting cheers from the audience.
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Howard Stern Hilariously Urges ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Viewers To Stop Voting For One Celeb