Julianne Hough is “so obsessed” with Anna Delvey’s Dancing with the Stars casting

Anna Delvey Dancing with the stars The casting was marked by controversy – but Julianne Hough is ready to see them fight for the mirrorball.

In the episode of 16 September of the Call it by its name Podcast that DWTS co-host, 36, discussed Delvey’s casting with podcast co-hosts Jessica Capshaw and Camila Luddington. When reacting to Delvey competing with her ankle bracelet while under house arrest, the trio didn’t hold back in expressing their excitement.

“Some people are so angry about it. I love it. Some people are not happy, it’s controversial,” Luddington shared, before Hough agreed, “It’s definitely controversial. I’m so obsessed.”

“I’m so obsessed with you guys, like I have to make her win! I don’t even know who the other contestants are. I don’t care,” Luddington continued. “I want her to win. I mean it, and by the way, she could be deported at any moment.”

Hough added that the show could be a “great opportunity” for Delvey as it “allows people to show their true selves.”

“I just love it so much because I was obsessed with the show and Julia Garner just rocked it,” Hough said, referring to Garner’s portrayal of Delvey in Netflix’ The invention of Anna. “And it’s so much fun and she loves playing with it.”

Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin, rose to notoriety for posing as a wealthy German heiress and using her social status to defraud wealthy people, banks and hotels. She was arrested in 2017 and convicted in 2019 of first-, second- and third-degree grand larceny and theft of services.

Her sentence included four to 12 years in prison, which was reduced when she was released for good behavior in February 2021. Shortly after her release, Delvey was taken into custody by ICE for violating the terms of her visa. She is living under house arrest in New York City while she fights her deportation case.

Delvey made headlines when it was announced Good morning America on September 4 that she would compete for the mirror ball trophy alongside 12 other contestants. Speaking to PEOPLE shortly after the news broke, she revealed that she received special permission from ICE to compete on the condition that she continue to wear her ankle bracelet.

Beginning of the month Dancing with the stars Showrunner Conrad Green defended the series’ decision to give Delvey the opportunity to appear.

“We’ve always tried to be a very broad church when it comes to the kind of people, the kind of backgrounds and the kind of stories we have on the show,” Green said diversity“Anna fascinates many people. Many people have seen the dramas about her life and followed her story. So I think she is naturally curious.”

He pointed out that the 33-year-old convicted con artist knows her way around the “world of fashion,” adding that he thinks his fans would “really love” to see her on the dance floor.

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“She’s a very important and interesting part of the cast,” Green explained. “Yes, she had the problems she had, but we’ve also had other people on the show who have had criminal problems in the past. She’s served her sentence.”

“I think it’s totally legitimate for her to be on the show and I think people were really curious to see how she did,” he added.

Dancing with the stars is produced in front of a live audience by BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions. Season 33 premieres Tuesday, September 17 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with episodes streaming on Hulu the next day.