Peta Murgatroyd has responded to the controversial opinions shared by her husband, Maks Chmerkovskiy, concerning professional dancers on Dancing With the Stars season 34.
Murgatroyd, 39, addressed the issue on the October 31 episode of her "Penthouse With Peta" podcast. She stated their criticisms were harsher than intended. Their goal was never to promote negativity.
"Some of our criticism was harsher than we intended. I wanted to make it very clear that was never the goal," Murgatroyd said. "We never want to condone hate or personal attacks of any kind."
She emphasized her love for Dancing With the Stars, calling it one of television’s best shows. The program has given her much over the years.
Chmerkovskiy, 45, joined her on a previous podcast episode to discuss DWTS "Malignant Night." Murgatroyd had agreed with her husband’s suggestion that Jan Ravnik and Rylee Arnold were too inexperienced. Ravnik was in his first season, and Arnold her third.
Murgatroyd issued an apology to the dancers directly. "Jan and Rylee, please know that our intention was never for this to become personal. We are so sorry we hurt your feelings," she shared.
She explained their aim is to analyze performances from a professional ballroom dancer’s viewpoint. Their passion can sometimes be misinterpreted as negativity, but that is not their intent.
Murgatroyd launched her podcast earlier this year to "celebrate dance" and avoid contributing to online "noise and negativity." She wants it to remain a safe space for open, honest, and respectful conversation. She also wants to learn from this experience and continue supporting the show.
Arnold, 20, has not publicly commented on the remarks. However, Ravnik, 30, told Us Weekly on October 28 that he was not bothered by the criticism.
"Look, everyone has an opinion. Everyone is entitled to an opinion," Ravnik said after his elimination with celebrity partner Jen Affleck. "Everyone can have an opinion, whether I respect it or not. If they want to stay relevant that way, yeah, hate."
Chmerkovskiy, who won DWTS season 18, has also issued a separate apology. He posted a video on social media on October 30.
"I want to apologize to Jan for how my words made you feel and for hurting your feelings," Chmerkovskiy said. He offered to discuss it further over coffee.
He further clarified that his dance comments are not driven by emotion. They stem from a "totally different range of reasoning" and his "black or white" honesty.
Chmerkovskiy was not present for Murgatroyd’s October 31 podcast episode. Former So You Think You Can Dance contestant JJ Rabone joined her instead. The two praised Ravnik and Affleck’s contemporary routine from the Halloween-themed show.
"I expected them to have gotten nines. I mean, this is his strong suit," Murgatroyd stated. She felt it was Affleck’s best dance on the show.
Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. New episodes are available the next day on Hulu.