DWTS Pro Lindsay Arnold Reacts After Criticism: ‘So Sad & Rude’

Getty "Dancing with the Stars" alum Lindsay Arnold appears at an event.

“Dancing with the Stars” pro Lindsay Arnold has been sharing lots of updates on her life since adding her second daughter, June, to the family in May. However, a recent set of Instagram Stories she posted generated a flurry of criticism online. Arnold pushed back against it all, but many “DWTS” fans think she still made a significant error in judgment in this case.

Arnold and her husband, Sam Cusick, welcomed baby June to their family on May 3. June joined big sister Sage to create the family of four, and they seem to be doing well. Arnold is jumping right into being active and keeping busy, even with a newborn in tow, and in one recent case, “Dancing with the Stars” fans suggested she might have gone a bit too far.

Here’s what you need to know:

Lindsay Arnold & Family Took June on a Boat Ride

On May 30, Arnold shared a series of videos to her Instagram Stories highlighting a family outing. Arnold, her husband, and their two daughters joined some others for a boat ride. Sage had a blast tubing behind the boat with a couple of other kids, and everybody seemed to have a great time. Arnold showed baby June wearing a kid’s life jacket around her neck, and it was far too big for her. The “Dancing with the Stars” dancer wrote, “Hahahahaha June isn’t too sure about this life jacket literally the smallest we could find!”

A screenshot of Arnold’s post was shared in the “Dancing with the Stars” subreddit and some fans voiced their concerns over June’s safety. “This can’t be ok? Can it?” questioned the original poster. Nearly 60 comments were posted on the thread as Redditors concurred this seemed like a dangerous idea.

“Absolutely not. An ill fitting jacket, especially for babies that can’t right themselves, is more dangerous than no jacket,” wrote one critic.

“They’re on a boat?!? That’s why she put a lifejacket on this baby that’s not even a month old? And making a joke about it? Oh. My,” added another.

“And she wasn’t even holding her, Lindsay had [June] laying on the floor of the boat right under the steering wheel,” replied someone else.

“Ugh my heart is in my throat seeing the video of June laying on the boat under the steering wheel,” read a separate note.

Arnold Wasn’t Happy With the ‘Haters’

The following day, Arnold took to her Instagram Stories again and seemed to reference the Reddit pushback she received over June’s boating excursion. “Sooo I made the mistake this morning of reading my dms and seeing a link to my reddit page. opened that baby up and WOW just wow. Lol don’t worry I’ll share some for you guys!” A bit later, the “Dancing with the Stars” entertainer posted again and explained, “Changed my mind lol not gonna give the hate the attention but WOW like it’s so sad and rude.” She added, “Makes my heart hurt for the people who go on and spread so much hate I genuinely hope you can find something else in your life to spend your time on besides bringing others down.” Lindsay did not specifically note her comments were regarding the boat incident, but the timing fit.

Arnold’s response was then shared in the same subreddit as the earlier one, and a robust discussion followed. In addition, June’s boat outing became a hot topic of discussion in the “arnoldsisters4” subreddit as well, and quite a few Redditors suspected it was that criticism that Arnold saw and pushed back against.

“When two Reddit pages are questioning the choice of putting her newborn in an oversized jacket inside a motor boat (down below the drivers side) I don’t think it’s just a bunch a ‘trolls’ spreading hate…I think it’s just a true concern!!!” suggested out one commenter.

“Oh no. People care for the health and safety of your child that you plaster all over the internet. How absolutely awful,” quipped another.

Arnold later posted a separate Instagram Story thanking fans for all the support she had received in response to the “haters.” Her subsequent Instagram updates throughout the rest of the day went back to more typical content, but the Reddit discussions have not entirely fizzled out quite yet.

Someone else on the Arnold Sisters 4 page explained, “I normally defend them because a lot of this sub just nitpicks everything about them for no reason. But this was actually very concerning… people always want to believe accidents won’t happen to them but if you happen to be one of the unlucky ones and god forbid something does happen, this poor baby…..”