“I DON’T RESPECT HER BECAUSE SHE’S BLACK”: Witney Carson’s Racist Rant After DWTS Season 34 Loss Sparks Global Outrage – Jordan Chiles’ 11-Word Response Leaves the World Speechless
In what is already being called the most explosive scandal in Dancing with the Stars history, professional dancer Witney Carson has been caught on a hot mic unleashing a vicious, racially charged attack against Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles moments after Chiles and her partner Ilona Maher were crowned champions of Season 34.
The incident occurred Tuesday night immediately following the finale at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
As confetti fell and Chiles celebrated her historic win – becoming the first Black woman to ever take home the Mirrorball Trophy as a contestant – Carson was filmed by a crew member’s phone walking backstage with fellow pro Rylee Arnold.
What she said next has sent shockwaves across the planet.
“I don’t respect her because she’s Black,” Carson is clearly heard saying, gesturing toward the stage where Chiles was still embracing her partner. “She can’t dance. The judges carried her the entire season. Everybody knows I bought more votes than anyone and still lost because of this woke bullshit.”
The 32-year-old Utah native, who was partnered with wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin this season, continued her tirade: “They wanted a Black girl to win no matter what. I trained my ass off and for what? So America can feel good about itself?”
Within minutes, the 47-second clip exploded across social media. By Wednesday morning, #RacismOnDWTS was the number-one trending topic worldwide, with over 4.8 million posts in less than twelve hours.
ABC and Disney, the network behind Dancing with the Stars, immediately distanced themselves from Carson’s comments, releasing a statement that read in part: “The views expressed by Ms. Carson do not reflect the values of ABC, Disney, or the Dancing with the Stars family.
We are reviewing her future with the show.”
But the moment that truly broke the internet came when Jordan Chiles, known for her grace under pressure, responded on her Instagram Live less than two hours after the video surfaced.
The 24-year-old Olympic medalist looked directly into the camera, tears in her eyes but steel in her voice, and delivered eleven words that have now been viewed more than 400 million times:
“I won because I’m better. Your racism just proved it.”
The silence that followed was deafening. Host Alfonso Ribeiro visibly struggled to maintain composure during the morning’s Good Morning America segment. Former champions Derek Hough and Val Chmerkovskiy posted black squares on their Instagram accounts – a universal symbol of solidarity.
Even Robert Irwin, Carson’s own celebrity partner and a longtime friend of Chiles, issued a statement saying he was “absolutely heartbroken and disgusted” by his professional partner’s words.
By noon, sponsors were fleeing. Lululemon, which had just signed Carson to a seven-figure athleisure deal, terminated the contract immediately. Dancewear brand Capezio followed suit. Carson’s own dance studio in Utah announced it would be removing her name from the building.
The backlash has been global and unrelenting.
South African users flooded Carson’s last Instagram post – a smiling photo with Irwin holding their third-place trophy – with comments reading “Your ancestors are ashamed.” Brazilian fans created a viral edit of Chiles’ perfect Week 10 samba set to the sound of Carson’s racist rant, captioning it “This is what superiority looks like.”
Perhaps most damning, Carson’s former DWTS partners have begun speaking out. Apollo Ohno, her Season 19 partner, posted a lengthy statement: “I am Japanese-American.
I now realize the ‘jokes’ Witney made about my eyes weren’t jokes at all.” Kel Mitchell revealed Carson once told him during Season 28 that “urban dancers have an unfair advantage because of rhythm in their blood.”
As of Thursday evening, Witney Carson has deleted all social media accounts and reportedly left Los Angeles with her husband and children.
Sources close to the production tell us ABC is preparing to permanently ban her from the show – a punishment previously reserved only for contestants involved in physical violence.
Jordan Chiles, meanwhile, has remained above the fray. When asked by reporters outside her gym in Texas how she felt about calls for Carson to be criminally charged with hate speech, the champion simply smiled and said, “I’m too busy being the best to worry about the bitter.”
The Dancing with the Stars Season 34 finale drew 11.4 million viewers – the highest in a decade – largely because of the electric chemistry between Chiles and Maher. What should have been a night of pure celebration has instead exposed one of the ugliest moments in reality television history.
Witney Carson’s career appears to be over at 32. Jordan Chiles’ star has never burned brighter.
And eleven words – just eleven – have reminded the world that excellence needs no permission, while racism, when exposed to the light, destroys itself.
