Julianne Hough & Alfonso Ribeiro Address Shocking Live TV Moment

Heavy/Disney Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro.

“Dancing With the Stars” co-hosts  Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro spoke out about how they handled an awkward live TV moment.

When season 33 contestant Anna Delvey was sent home from the celebrity ballroom competition, she bluntly said she got “nothing” from her time on the show. Everyone was stunned, especially the hosts, and some viewers were outraged.

In a post-show interview, Hough told People magazine she intended to stay “very neutral” on the topic. “I’m always a big believer in grace and second chances and showing up. Also, it’s hard to go out first in the competition.”

“I also heard somewhere that she was actually being silly and being very literal about that, with her history,” Hough added. “So there was that.”

After Delvey’s DWTS elimination was announced, Hough asked her what she would take from her experience on the show. In a now-viral response,  the convicted felon replied, “Nothing.”

Delvey’s pro partner Ezra Sosa’s jaw dropped as Hough cracked, “There you have it, nothing!” Riberio tried to diffuse the awkward moment by assuring Delvey, “You had fun, stop it, stop it!”

Delvey’s attitude throughout her run on DWTS rubbed many viewers the wrong way. Some fans felt she wasn’t grateful to be on the cast despite being on house arrest.

Alfonso Ribeiro Said There Was ‘a Lot of Shock in the Room’ When Anna Delvey Made Her Comment

Ribeiro was also asked about Delvey’s comment. During a September 25 appearance on “The Talk,” he said he had to think fast because “live [TV] is live.” “And it can be scary when it’s live,” he added. “And you know, look, I think there was a lot of shock in the room. Obviously not an answer any of us would be expecting.”

The DWTS host did express some sympathy for Delvey. “She was clearly a trendsetter,” he said. “I have to say, like, it’s live, like for her and her journey, like it’s really difficult to be in that situation because you’re being told you stink, you’re not good enough, we don’t want you here, right? And at the end of the day, you have to react to that.”

Ribeiro noted that Delvey’s entire experience on the show was dominated by her “getting destroyed on social media.” “It was an honest answer,” he reasoned. “Like what am I going to take way from this? Hurt, pain suffering? The only person that was really there for her was Ezra who’s a first-time pro so he’s never dealt with that.

“But there was a lot of shock in the ballroom with that answer,” Ribeiro repeated.

When “The Talk” co-host and fellow DWTS celeb Amanda Kloots said, “I think it was a disgrace that she said she got ‘nothing,’” Ribeiro carefully responded. “I can’t disagree,” he said. “We know the experience is life-changing. I owe everything to that show.”

Ezra Sosa had a Feeling Anna Delvey Would ‘Go Off’ on Julianne Hough

Disney/Eric McCandlessJulianne Hough, Anna Delvey and Ezra Sosa.

Sosa wasn’t totally surprised by Delvey’s parting comment. The 23-year-old first-time pro told Entertainment Weekly he had a feeling his partner would go rogue. “When we were eliminated, I could tell from the jump just staring at her face, she was a little upset about it,” he said. “So, I was like, ‘She’s going to go off on Julianne, I can see it happening.’ But when she said, ‘Nothing,’ I was like, ‘I’ll take it, this is good.’ It was so iconic though.”

“It honestly didn’t [hurt my feelings when] she said that. I was like, ‘Facts, queen,’” he added. “I think the most heartbreaking thing for me was that I wasn’t able to give her a better experience, because I think she had a really hard time on the show. But all in all, I think her exit was so iconic, and I’m just glad to be a part of it.”

Delvey appeared to be a bit disgruntled when speaking to NBC News following her elimination. ‘I feel that the show so obviously used me to drive up the ratings, that they never had any plans to give me any chance to grow and only cared about exploiting me for attention,” she said. “It was predatory of them to try [to] make me feel inadequate and stupid. … I was never really given a fair chance by the viewers or some of the judges, given their nonsensical scoring.”