Ballroom blitz! Geraldo Rivera says he wouldn’t have freaked out if protesters interrupted him when he appeared on season 22 of Dancing With the Stars last year. In fact, he would have welcomed them.
Rivera, 73, joked about the scenario just one day after Ryan Lochte and his pro partner, Cheryl Burke, were confronted by two hecklers during this year’s season 23 premiere on Monday, September 12.
“Wish the #DWTS protesters had rushed the stage last year,” Rivera tweeted on Tuesday. “It would have distracted from my dancing.”
wish the #DWTS protesters had rushed the stage last year. It would have distracted from my dancing
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) September 13, 2016
As previously reported, security guards detained L.A. residents Sam Sotoodeh, 48, and Barzeen Soroudi, 40, (and tackled one of them) after they stormed the stage to shame Lochte over the athlete’s Rio robbery scandal. Derek Hough came out from backstage to yell at other hecklers in the audience, who also wore anti-Lochte T-shirts. The group shouted that Lochte was a “liar” before they were kicked out of the studio.
Rivera didn’t make it far during his DWTS stint in 2015. The Celebrity Apprentice alum and his pro partner, Edyta Sliwinska, were the first to get sent home after a cringeworthy salsa routine on the premiere. Rivera parodied Donald Trump (and wore a fake orange tan!) while Sliwinska spoofed Melania Trump.
Rivera appeared to joke about his bad performance on Monday. “Oh how I miss the glory days on #DWTS (,,,not),” he tweeted. “Good luck everyone; a terrific crew, pros are great & this year’s cast is certainly colorful.”
Rewatch Lochte and Rivera on DWTS in the videos above!
