“The View” hosts criticize Anna Delvey’s casting for “Dancing With the Stars”

Dancing with the stars Cast announcements often cause controversy, and season 33 is no different.

The hosts of The view criticized the occupation of Anna Delvey during the Thursday, Sept. 5, episode of the talk show, citing her criminal record and ongoing deportation proceedings. Delvey, 33, had to ask U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for permission to participate in the upcoming season.

“I think back to all the families whose family members were arrested by ICE, who went to court to get their father, their brother or their mother back, and this woman got permission to do that,” Whoopi Goldberg said. “Should I now think there is a reason? Is there a two-tier system here at ICE?”

Sunny Hostin agreed with Goldberg, 68, that Delvey’s moment in the spotlight seems unfair.

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“She defrauded so many people and then spent about two years in prison and then had to spend another 18 months in prison for overstaying her permit and visa. So she committed another crime. And what is, I don’t know, the consequence of that? A jeweled ankle bracelet and an appearance on a TV show,” said Hostin, 55. “I like it when someone gets caught, but when are there consequences for people’s actions?”

Joy Behar joked that ABC would make a spin-off series called Dancing with the criminals and theorized that Delvey gets special treatment because “she’s pretty.”

Goldberg countered, “Now that’s a little bit of a bummer. And you know, I like pretty people too. But I have to say, I listen to people complaining about what’s happening at the border, and I listen to people complaining about all these people who shouldn’t be there – so what the hell, man?”

The EGOT winner then said that Delvey’s casting was a “(f-k you) in light of the many people who have tried to find their way back to this country and whose families have been torn apart.”

Delvey was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison in 2019 for grand larceny, second-degree theft and theft of services. She was released on parole in March 2021 before ICE took her into custody for overstaying her visa. The so-called “Fake Heiress” was released from ICE custody in October 2022 and subsequently placed under house arrest.

Delvey said The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, September 4, that she was “somehow persuaded” to take part in the competition DWTS.

“I got permission from ICE, but then it was somehow too late to back out,” she explained.

Delvey will enter the ballroom together with the debutant DWTS per Ezra Sosa. Sosa, 23, told exclusively We weekly on Wednesday that Delvey’s prior knowledge of the show was relatively limited.

“(It) is actually super ironic, because the only time (Anna) Dancing with the stars was in prison,” he said.

Dancing with the stars returns to ABC and Disney+ on Tuesday, September 17 at 8 p.m. ET.