Julianne Hough has broken her silence on Amber Rose's accusations that the judge body-shamed her on "Dancing With the Stars." Hough said that it was not her intention to body-shame Rose, and the comment she made was a reaction to the contestant's dance routine.
"My comments were solely reacting to the quality of the dance I was judging," the 28-year-old said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. "I have been a strong proponent of female empowerment and an anti-bullying advocate for years and I take that very seriously. Any kind of body shaming is the furthest thing from who I am and what I stand for."
Rose, 32, revealed on her "Loveline" podcast that she felt body-shamed by the "Grease: Live!" actress during her dance performance with pro partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy on Sept. 26, Monday. The former stripper said she was in the middle of her salsa dance routine when her partner lifted her leg up and dipped her, prompting Hough to comment that it made her feel "uncomfortable.
The "How to Be a Bad Bitch" author then went on to compare the judge's reaction to other "DWTS" contestants' dance routines. She said that while other participants' performances are met with a standing ovation, her body and her assets made Hough feel uncomfortable.
In an earlier interview with E! News, Hough said that her remark was taken out of context. The actress noted that the footage shown on television was a "produced package."
"My 'uncomfortable' comment was about the fact that I felt like I wanted more out of the performance - when someone is doing a hot, sexy dance like that without the right amount of energy that is required, it can be uncomfortable to watch," she told the publication. "Trust me I'm ALL for a sexy booty dance!! We all know that!! And any kind of body shaming goes against everything I believe in." Watch the controversial moment in the video below: