Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars premiered with its slate of 14 contenders. Once all the couples showed off their moves, there were some clear frontrunners. Hilaria Baldwin, who is married to well-known actor Alec Baldwin, performed a cha-cha. And while Hilaria has talent, it sounds as if DWTS host Julianne Hough had some opinions about how she landed on the show.
Hilaria, who is partnered with pro Gleb Savchenko, came in third place after their performance. The duo demonstrated good technique, connection, and chemistry. Now, Hilaria is addressing exactly how she ended up in the Season 34 cast.
Hilaria Baldwin denies campaigning for a spot on Dancing with the Stars
Julianne claimed on the Chicks in the Office podcast that Hilaria “was campaigning and she got on!” The former DWTS pro and judge was referencing Hilaria’s TikToks of her dancing with her hubby, Alec.
“That’s actually not true. I did not campaign,” Hilaria told Page Six. “It was, like, not on my radar. A few days before [the announcement], they called me and were like, ‘Do you wanna do this?’ And I just made a spur-of-the-moment decision.” The mom of seven added, “I had to move my whole family out here [to Los Angeles] last minute. That is the true story.”
When Julianne’s “campaign” comments were mentioned, Hilaria admitted that she knew about it. “I know, I heard it too. I hear a lot of things about me that are not true,” she said. Meanwhile, there were also rumors that Hilaria was reportedly taking part in the show as a cash grab to help with her family’s finances.
Apparently, Hilaria danced professionally before a broken hip forced her to quit 16 years ago. Her dance background has garnered some criticism. “I mean, I still have pain every single day, so to be able to do that, and to be able to do it with Gleb … it’s a dream come true,” Hilaria explained.
Dancing with the Stars airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC and Disney+. It streams on Hulu the next day.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF JULIANNE’S COMMENTS ABOUT HILARIA “CAMPAIGNING” TO BE ON DWTS? ARE YOU ROOTING FOR HILARIA?
