Sean Spicer’s casting sure caused a ton of stir with Dancing With the Stars fans, but what about the pros? Val Chmerkovskiy opened up to Us Weekly exclusively about how he reacted when he found out that the former White House press secretary had joined season 28.
“‘Holy s—t! Sean Spicer’s on the show!’ That was my reaction. ‘Bro, you’re not going to believe this, we got Sean,'” the two-time mirrorball champ, 33, told Us. “But we also got Ray Lewis and we also got Lamar Odom. As a fan of sports, those are the names that I was really proud to kind of share the bill with.”
The I’ll Never Change My Name author also noted that overall, the show is “just trying to have a good time, unlike a lot of television out there that’s hijacked by the political conversation.” While that’s important, he thinks the reality series focuses on something lighter.
“For those two hours on a Monday night at 8 p.m., you could chill on your couch with your family, three generations coming together and just watch a wholesome, beautiful, lighthearted show,” he said. “And that’s what I’m proud to be a part of.”
Many fans of the show lashed out at ABC over the decision to cast the 47-year-old politician. Host Tom Bergeron also shared his own hesitations, admitting that he had spoken to the network about having a season without any political affiliations; however, he realized they had gone a different way when the cast was revealed last month.
For more from Chmerkovskiy, watch the exclusive video above.
Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC Monday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET.
