Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba is keeping her fingers crossed that longtime fans of the competition show will stick around when the show moves to Disney+ this fall.
On August 3, the former ABC personality made a plea to fans to follow the show over to the streaming service when she opened up on her Facebook page about “taking a break away from social media.” At the end of her candid post, the former Talk co-host included a quick note teasing the new season of Dancing With the Stars returning on September 19 on its new platform. “PS. As we head towards Season 31 of DWTS on Disney Plus, get ready for some fun stuff. After this period of time, I’ll be fully refreshed and ready to go! lol. Big hugs and lots of love,” she wrote.
But unfortunately, the mention of the competition show’s historic move from ABC to Disney+ wasn’t well received by everyone — and Carrie Ann didn’t ignore the feedback.
After reading fan comments on her initial Facebook post, which were full of encouraging words and stories of personal journeys, Carrie shared her gratitude in a follow-up post. What’s more, she acknowledged other comments about viewers openly sharing that they will not be tuning in.
“I’m heartbroken to hear so many people saying they won’t be joining us on [Dancing With the Stars] this season,” she wrote on August 4. “We’ve always been a family for so long … All of us, the dancers, the hosts, the judges, the production team, the creatives and hair and [makeup] and stylists and lighting and set design … And YOU.”
Carrie continued: “I hope you will be able to stay connected to us. I will be posting lots of content from my socials so I hope that will help you stay connected. Family is forever. #dwts.”
A post shared by Carrie Ann Inaba (@carrieanninaba)
Reacting to her honest words, folks shared their own heartfelt messages about what it’ll be like for them to miss out on the new season, featuring Mirrorball champion Alfonso Ribeiro as a new co-host alongside Tyra Banks.
“I also wish you the very best. I have watched DWTS from day one. I will not be subscribing to Disney + and it is terribly disappointing and very sad. I will miss it so much and I think it will be losing many [longtime] viewers,” one person wrote. “I am so happy for you that you are on a beautiful journey, but this will be the end for many of us DWTS family,” another added. “I’ve watched since day one. It and this will be the first season I’m not watching. And it breaks my heart … Hopefully I will see lots of clips and things online. Hope you have a great season Carrie Ann!” a different fan said.
Back in April, Deadline exclusively reported the renewal of Dancing With the Stars for two more seasons along with the show’s move over to Disney+. Since then, the streaming platform has confirmed DWTS will air new season 31 episodes on Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET without commercials. Carrie is set to return to the judges’ panel alongside Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
“It’s a little bit different,” she told E! News in June about the shift to Disney+. “I think the difference is maybe live voting across the country. Maybe there’s gonna be some things that will come along with the scripts that I think people are gonna love. People don’t always like change, but I think they’ll adapt.”
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