Jen Affleck, the social media influencer and reality TV star, may have moved on from Dancing With the Stars. But one moment from the show still follows her. Which moment? Well, it’s Julianne Hough’s comment about Affleck being postpartum that quickly went viral. Now, Affleck is opening up about what she really thought of the moment.
Jen Affleck addresses Julianne Hough’s viral ‘Dancing With the Stars’ comment about her being postpartum
Affleck, who joined Season 34 of the competition just eight weeks after welcoming her third child, said she does not believe Hough meant any harm. “There [are] a lot of nerves when it comes to being on national TV in front of millions of people, so I don’t think she had any ill intent whatsoever,” Affleck told Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea.
She added, “I think it was just a comment in the moment that was just perceived the wrong way.”
The moment happened after Affleck performed her first dance with former Eras Tour dancer Jan Ravnik. Hough asked her, “How did you feel after, just clearly, giving birth and getting out here on the dance floor?”
The question quickly caught viewers’ attention. Some social media users criticized Hough for her choice of words and questioned why she described Affleck as having “clearly” given birth. The moment soon became part of the DWTS controversy surrounding Affleck’s appearance on the show.
Affleck, however, said she was too overwhelmed at the time to dwell on the moment. She described herself as being in “pure survival mode” while competing so soon after giving birth. She admitted that she “didn’t actually ever process” Hough’s comment.
“There’s a lot of things that I don’t think I processed during ‘Dancing With the Stars,’” she explained. “Looking back, I’m like, ‘Oh, that happened? Oh, that happened.”
Despite the intense experience, Affleck said she looks back at her time on the show with gratitude. Affleck left the show in Week 7 after elimination. However, she still looks back on the experience as one of the most memorable periods of her life.
“Now, looking back at Dancing With the Stars,” she said, “I am full of gratitude and, honestly, I’m still trying to process all of that because it was the craziest time in my life.” She confirmed that viewers will get a closer look at the relationship between her and her husband in Hulu’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives spinoff.
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