'Dancing With The Stars' Season 32 fans boycott NFL player Adrian Peterson after domestic violence arrest
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Dancing With The Stars' Season 32 paired up 14 celebrity contestants with pro partners on the stage. The one celebrity who was the most talked about was NFL player Adrian Peterson.
'DWTS' Season 32 fans publically called out Adrian as they boycotted the celebrity dancer. A fan started a Reddit thread asking others to not vote for the contestant, titling it, "VOTE FOR ANYONE BUT ADRIAN!"
In the post, the user further claimed, "I normally don't care who you all vote for, but please please please vote for people like Barry Williams (Peta's partner) and Matt Walsh (Koko's partner) they both have very small fan bases and deserve some votes. It would break my heart if people lile Barry and Matt gets eliminated before Adrian."
The thread received a wave of comments in agreement, with one person writing, "NoAdrian🚫Vote for Matt and Barry and especially whoever you want! Vote Jamie for Christ's sake! Just anyone but him."
Recalling Adrian's domestic violence case, a fan commented, "It's a c**ppy situation." A fan speculated, "If he wound up in the bottom 2, I wonder if they would send him regardless of who he was up against, just because of the backlash. I have my doubts, especially since they seem to be getting rid of any negative comments on the IG posts that feature him."
'DWTS' fans concerned about pro Britt Stewart over her pairing with domestic violence-accused Adrian Peterson
Fans were not only divided over boycotting Adrian but they were also concerned for Britt Steward after seeing her perform with Adrian Peterson, who was arrested over domestic violence charges in 2022, per TMZ Sports.
A fan wrote, "Oh as a hardcore Britt fan I feel awful for not giving her any votes this season, but in no way am I ever going to vote for a child abuser/woman beater."
Another concerned fan claimed, "For real!!! I feel so bad for Britt and her fans." "Agreed. We can support Britt in other ways... But not by voting for A.P.," another wrote.
Another mocked, "Yet this how Britt gets paid for work by being on the show…there is no trope." A fan claimed they would be voting for Britt and Adrian, "Am voting for Britt bcoz it’s about Britt and not Adrian."
Another concerned fan commented, "I’m really really sad because Britt is my favorite."
What did Adrian Peterson get accused of?
In 2014, Adrian was indicted on a felony charge for causing injury to his then 4-year-old son. He was accused of leaving cuts all over the boy's body while disciplining him.
Adrian pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor reckless assault, as reported by USA Today.
He was then required to complete 2 years of probation and was fined $4,000 along with 80 hours of community service.
However, Adrian's behavior did not change. In 2022, Adrian was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence with his wife Ashley Peterson. He agreed to domestic abuse and alcohol counseling after the arrest.
Adrian Peterson and Britt Stewart 'lacked rhythm' in 'DWTS' Season 32
Adrian and Britt got a safe score from all the judges. They bagged a six from all three judges, Carrie Ann, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, getting a total of 18 out of 30.
Adrian and Britt performed salsa on 'Yeah!' Derek complimented the opening moves of the pair. However, he claimed that there were "no rhythm" to the dance.
There were a few footwork mishaps in the dance but Bruno said he loved the performance despite that.
Carrie complimented Adrian, saying he has "swagger" but took note of the mistakes in their footwork.
New episodes of 'DWTS' Season 32 release every Tuesday at 8 pm ET on ABC and Disney+.