“She seems great” - Dancing with the Stars’ Joey Graziadei defends Anna Delvey’s participation amidst backlash

Dancing with the Stars' Anna Delvey faced backlash over her participation in the show. This comes after news of Delvey being a convicted felon surfaced on the internet. The 33-year-old was found guilty of eight crimes and an immigration overstay.

The reality show pairs celebrities with professional dance partners. Each duo performs weekly, receiving ratings from judges and the audience at home. Dancing with the Stars season 33 premiered on September 17, 2024, on ABC

In an interview with The U.S. Sun before the airing of the show, Delvey's DWTS co-star Joey Graziadei was asked about letting the felon perform despite the recent backlash. He acknowledged that it was a huge story and said:

"To tell you the truth, I've gotten to meet Anna a few times. She seems great."

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Dancing with the Stars’ Joey Graziadei talks about his appearance

In the interview, Graziadei further shared that he had not had many interactions with Delvey. He was busy focusing on himself and the dance routine he would perform in the Dancing with the Stars season 33 premiere.

The Bachelorette runner-up was nervous about his upcoming performance and expressed that he did not want to embarrass himself.

“I have not had a lot of interactions. But my mindset right now is I'm just focusing on how not to make an idiot [of] myself in a few days so that is where my head is," Joey shared.

Graziadei added that he tries not to focus on Delvey's controversy and the surrounding backlash. He implied that he is focused solely on the show and its related aspects. He expressed gratitude for himself and everyone who has had the opportunity to be on the show. Graziadei said:

"I try not to focus on all the noise around it. I'm happy for everyone that's got an opportunity this season and for me, like I said, my focus is on trying to make sure I keep my feet under me. That's really where my head's been at.”

The 29-year-old also praised the professional dance partners for their efforts. He shared that each professional partner tries to bring out the dancer in the celebrity contestants and focuses on the aspects they need to work on. They prepare the celebrities and get them ready for their performances.

“They really do focus on each individual feeling important, getting their ability to focus on what they should be focusing on, which is dancing, and getting as good as you can before night one," he said.

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Why did Anna Delvey wear an ankle monitor in the Dancing with the Stars season 33 premiere?

Anna Delvey appeared in the season premiere of Dancing with the Stars and performed a cha-cha alongside her professional dance partner Ezra Sosa. Despite her dance routine to Sabrina Carpenter’s song Espresso, the main talking point of her act was her ankle monitor. She had to wear a court-mandated ankle monitor for her immigration charges.

Delvey was charged with eight crimes, including grand larceny in 2019. The reality star posed as a German heiress and tricked her friends and banks into giving her thousands of dollars. She was released from prison in 2021 but was later charged with overstaying her visa and sent to an immigration detention center for 18 months.

After her release in 2022, Delvey was allowed to complete her Dancing with the Stars, with the condition that she had to wear an ankle monitor.

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Dancing with the Stars season 33 episode 2 will be released on ABC on September 24, 2024.