Julianne Hough Addresses ‘The Activist’ Show Backlash and Past Blackface Costume

Julianne Hough has released a lengthy statement addressing the backlash that has surrounded her recently announced CBS competition show “The Activist,” which pits teams of activists against each other in challenges and uses their online engagement and celebrity judges to determine an overall winner.

Hough, a former dancer and judge on “Dancing With the Stars, was announced as a co-host of “The Activist” alongside Usher and Priyanka Chopra, though Hough now admits she’s not qualified to be judging a show about activism, the premise of which has been widely panned online.

“I do not claim to be an activist and wholeheartedly agree that the judging aspect of the show missed the mark and furthermore, that I am not qualified to act as a judge,” Hough said in a statement posted to her Instagram on Tuesday.

Hough acknowledged that she’s listened to the criticism that “The Activist” has received and said she brought it up to “the powers that be.” The show is produced by Global Citizen, CBS and Deviant Media, and it’s set to premiere on Oct. 22. on CBS and Paramount Plus.

“I’ve shared your concerns as well as my own with the powers that be, who I believe have listened. I have faith and confidence in the beautiful people that I’ve worked with will make the right choice and do the right thing moving forward. Not just for the show, but for the greater good,” she wrote.

Hough also addressed her controversial 2013 Halloween costume, for which she wore blackface to dress up as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren, played by Uzo Aduba on “Orange Is the New Black.” She apologized for the costume back in 2013, but responded once again after it resurfaced online recently.

“Wearing blackface was a poor choice based on my own white privilege and white body bias that hurt people and is something that I regret doing to this day. However, the regret that I live with pales in comparison to the lived experiences of so many. My commitment has been to reflect and act differently. Not perfectly, but hopefully with a more developed understanding that racism and white supremacy is harmful to ALL people,” Hough wrote.

Read Hough’s full statement below.

The last few days have been a powerful demonstration of real-time activism.

Thank you for using your voices, calling me in, your accountability and your candor. I am deeply listening with an open heart and mind.

After the press release announcing ‘The Activist,’ I heard you say that the show was performative, promoted pseudo-activism over real activism, felt tone-deaf, like ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘The Hunger Games,’ and that the hosts weren’t qualified to assess activism because we are celebrities and not activists.

I heard you say that there was hypocrisy in the show because at the root of activism is a fight against capitalism and the trauma that it causes so many people and that the show itself felt like a shiny capitalistic endeavor.

I also heard you say that trying to value one cause over another felt like the Oppression Olympics and totally missed and disrespected the many activists who have been killed, assaulted and faced various abuses fighting for their causes.

And because of all of this, there is a feeling of insult, dehumanization, insensitivity and hurt that is being rightfully felt.

I do not claim to be an activist and wholeheartedly agree that the judging aspect of the show missed the mark and furthermore, that I am not qualified to act as a judge.

On top of all of this, many people are just becoming aware that I wore blackface in 2013, which only further added insult to injury.

Wearing blackface was a poor choice based on my own white privilege and white body bias that hurt people and is something that I regret doing to this day. However, the regret that I live with pales in comparison to the lived experiences of so many. My commitment has been to reflect and act differently. Not perfectly, but hopefully with a more developed understanding that racism and white supremacy is harmful to ALL people.

I’ve definitely not addressed all the different, valuable feedback about what the show missed and my missteps. I want you to know that I am still listening, because this is a messy and uncomfortable conversation, and I’m committed to being here for all of it.

It feels important for me to share that the original reason I signed on to this show was because I was really excited to be a part of something that highlights, and is centered around sharing activists’ work on a larger platform. In doing so, I felt it would help educate, mobilize and inspire people around the world to get involved in activism because many worthy causes need attention, funding, and most importantly, the power to effect real change.

I do not have all the answers yet, I’ve shared your concerns as well as my own with the powers that be, who I believe have listened. I have faith and confidence in the beautiful people that I’ve worked with will make the right choice and do the right thing moving forward. Not just for the show, but for the greater good.

I’m going to continue to listen, unlearn, learn and take the time to be fully present with everything that you have all shared because I don’t want to just react, I want to digest, understand and respond in a way that is authentic and aligned with the woman I am becoming.

I also understand that there is no response that I could share that would make everyone happy, however, I want you to know that this is a conversation and I’m still listening.

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