Cheryl Burke says her ‘DWTS’ exit revealed one painful truth: 'It was never a family...'
Former 'DWTS' pro, Cheryl Burke, had a successful run on the show, having worked in 26 seasons. She exited after season 31 to see "what else is out there," she said, "We are human and we evolve. I do. At least I would like to say that I am a work in progress forever," as reported by E! News. But her bold move was not taken in the same spirit. In an interview with Sharna Burgess' 'Old-Ish' podcast, Burke shared about her feelings on losing friendships with people she worked with on the show for so long. “What hurts is when your old co-stars and co-workers do interviews about you."
Burgess, who is also a former pro on the show and close to Burke, however, didn't share the same feeling. "We’ve all known each other for so long, and we call it a family, and it really is, and there’s sometimes friction with family," Burgess said. However, for Burke, those words didn't hold any meaning now, "That’s the sadness, though. It was never a family, I guess, for me,” Burke retaliated. “Because family … they don’t do that. They don’t abandon you when times are hard, but also when you decide to leave. What happened to the family? A strong family is more than ‘I love you.’ Family is when you’re stuck together. Blood is thicker than water type of thing. And that was the realization that was so painful, I think,” as reported by TV Insider.
Burke further confided, "When people label you as this negative person who just talks s**t about the show, it’s kind of like you’re never going to change their mind.” she continued, “I do feel like it’s natural that people tend to gravitate towards the negative, and that’s it. Whether it’s people who work there and what they think of this podcast … I can never force anybody to listen to it for them to get all the information. They’re going to think what they’re going to think, and I have to be OK with it."
The cause of resentment stemmed from a comment made by Maksim Chmerkovskiy, a fellow pro and long-term friend from season 2 to season 25, who slammed her for the 'Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans' podcast in October 2024, as reported by the aforementioned outlet. "I think that Cheryl needs to sit back and reflect on her stuff instead of starting a podcast that is so vile and so dirty and so negative," Chmerkovskiy said on 'Behind the Velvet Rope' interview, before adding, “I think Cheryl needs to do a lot of soul searching and a lot of discovery. You’re not going to discover yourself sitting in the puddle of old s**t. You’re not gonna move on. And she hasn’t.”
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Following this, in December 2024, Burke announced that she is taking a break from the podcast “for now.” In her farewell announcement, Burke addressed those who criticized the work she’d done. “To anyone who may have misinterpreted this podcast or questioned my love for the show that shaped me, I encourage you to listen to the episodes,” she wrote. “My heart has always been in the right place, and I’ve seen so many of your comments affirming that. I will never forget where I came from, and my love for that chapter of my life will never waver. Any negative perceptions about me in the headlines could not be further from the truth. This podcast was always about truth, connection, and storytelling—not taking anything down.”