Julianne Hough mocked for asking 'nonsense' questions on 'DWTS' — but her reply might just win you over
When live television collides with viral social media, the results are often unpredictable. Recently, ‘Dancing With the Stars’ host Julianne Hough found herself in the middle of an internet debate after a TikTok creator called her out for the way she interviews contestants. And instead of brushing it off, Hough leaned all the way in. The playful takedown came courtesy of TikToker Grace Harmer, who uploaded a video on Wednesday, September 17, as per Us Weekly. She pointed out that while Hough delivers every line with confidence, many of her post-dance questions don’t make much sense if you actually listen closely.
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“I fear I’m going to ruffle some features [sic] with this one, but somebody has to say it,” Harmer admitted before diving in. “If there’s one thing that Julianne Hough is going to do, it is speak absolute nonsense, but get away with it.” Harmer explained, “I don’t know if it’s the lethal face card distracting us, or maybe because she speaks with so much confidence and in such a hosting voice. But if you really listen to what she says when she’s asking these questions after the dances, I’d say a solid 60% of the time, it is nonsense.” But the commentary didn’t end there.
Harmer broke down what she called Hough’s “formula”: pulling a random fact from a contestant’s intro package and then asking a sweeping emotional question that often feels disconnected from the performance. “Typically, ‘What does this experience mean to you?’ Or, ‘How does that affect you through this experience?’ Something of that matter,” Harmer explained. To illustrate her point, she cited one especially awkward example involving Corey Feldman. “The best one I can think of tonight, this is not an exact quote, but when it was Corey Feldman’s turn, she goes, ‘Do you have scoliosis? What does this experience mean to you?’ Or something like that,” she said.
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The video quickly gained traction online, but the real surprise came two days later. According to Prime Timer, on Friday, September 19, Hough responded with a reaction video of her own. Instead of being offended, she erupted into laughter, nodding in agreement with Harmer’s observations. At one point, she mouthed “thank you” in response to the compliment about her “lethal face card,” before tilting her head and giggling as Harmer continued to dissect her style. By the time Harmer reached the Feldman example, Hough was laughing so hard she leaned back in her chair, wiping away tears as she silently mouthed “yeah” in agreement.
Her willingness to laugh at herself only endeared her more to fans. For Harmer, the critique was never meant to be mean-spirited. In fact, she stated that she loves Hough as a host. “And let me be so clear, I love it. I love her as the host. I do not want them to replace her,” she said. “Because number one, it shows how live the show truly is. Because that’s one of the things that I love about 'Dancing with the Stars.' It’s not perfect. I don’t want live TV to be perfect. But there are mess ups on the show that make you know that it’s actually happening live.” Hough has been part of the 'DWTS' family for years: first as a professional dancer, later as a judge, and most recently stepping in as cohost alongside Alfonso Ribeiro in 2023.