Jenny McCarthy Says Derek Hough Told Her There Is No Hope for Her on Dancing With the Stars

Jenny McCarthy said on her podcast that Derek Hough once told her she has no hope as a ballroom dancer. The comment came during a conversation with former Dancing With the Stars contestant Selma Blair on the Tuesday, Oct. 20, episode of The Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Show.

McCarthy said Hough made the remark after years of informal lessons at the show’s afterparties. ‘Ten years they tried and finally [judge] Derek [Hough] said, You’re the first person I can honestly say there’s no hope for,’ McCarthy said.

Afterparty lessons

McCarthy explained that her sister worked as a makeup artist on Dancing With the Stars for roughly 15 years. She attended afterparties regularly and said the dancers would try to teach her ballroom dancing.

She described herself as a ‘stiff-armed cheerleader’ and said she cannot find the rhythm. She also compared her dancing to Steve Martin’s character in the 1979 film The Jerk.

Selma Blair reacts

Blair, who competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2022, did not believe McCarthy’s account. Blair said she loved her own experience on the show and felt good exercising again.

Blair left season 31 during week five because of health risks related to her multiple sclerosis. McCarthy noted that Blair’s appearance on the podcast was recorded before Blair was arrested after an alleged medical emergency on a flight.

Past invitations to compete

McCarthy said she has been invited to compete on Dancing With the Stars more than once but declined. In a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said: ‘They ask me every year, and I just can’t do it. I tell them why: You guys keep saying every year you’re going to get A-List people and then it’s the girl that was with George Clooney.’

Derek Hough has served as a judge on Dancing With the Stars since 2020. He previously won the Mirror Ball trophy six times as a professional dancer on the show.

Current season continues

Dancing With the Stars season 35 continues Tuesday, Oct. 27, with Horror Movie Night. Hough remains on the judging panel alongside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

As of Monday, neither Hough nor ABC had publicly responded to McCarthy’s remarks. Entertainment Weekly reported that it had reached out to a representative for Hough.