Dancing With the Stars’ Halloween Night ended with a social media dust-up after Alix Earle’s stepmom, Ashley Dupré Earle, took aim at guest judge Cheryl Burke over a single point on the scoreboard.
Earle and pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy delivered a showy routine that drew raves in the ballroom and online, with Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough each flashing perfect 10s. Burke, however, held back with a 9 — still a high mark, but not the sweep some viewers expected.
In a TikTok posted Tuesday, Dupré celebrated the dance as “f—ing amazing” before reacting to Burke’s score with a pointed swipe: “Oh, go take more Ozempic.” When a child off camera asked about the comment, Dupré doubled down, adding, “She looks weird. She doesn’t even look like that.”
The remark quickly drew mixed reactions. “That Ozempic comment was so unnecessary,” one user wrote, while another criticized the pile-on: “Everyone being an active bully and thinking it’s okay because Alix didn’t get a 10??? What is wrong with y’all.” Others admitted they laughed, with one viewer posting, “THE OZEMPIC COMMENT — I was literally thinking the same thing,” and another saying, “I’m peeing at the Ozempic comment.”
What Happened During DWTS’ Halloween Night
Burke, a two-time DWTS champion who spent 26 seasons as a pro before stepping away in 2022, returned to the ballroom this week as a guest judge. As often happens when there’s a split panel, her 9 stood out in a sea of 10s and ignited fan debate about consistency, standards, and whether a near-perfect routine merits a perfect score.
DWTS judging is subjective by design, and guest judges frequently bring their own criteria to theme nights. Still, a one-point difference was enough to spark a viral moment — not from the dance floor, but from the sidelines — as Dupré’s video circulated across TikTok and X.
Why The Ozempic Remark Struck A Nerve
Ozempic, a diabetes medication that has become a lightning rod in Hollywood’s ongoing body-image discourse, is a topic Burke has addressed head-on. Back in March, the former pro shot down speculation about her appearance in a candid TikTok, stressing she wasn’t using the drug for weight loss and hadn’t had any cosmetic procedures.
“I’m not on Ozempic. I’m not sick,” Burke said at the time. “I didn’t get a face transplant, and no, I didn’t get a brow lift.” She also called out the “wild” level of projection she experiences online, noting that audiences often compare her to how she looked years ago. “I hate to break it to you, but that Cheryl doesn’t exist anymore,” she continued. “My face has changed because I’ve changed. I’ve experienced so much trauma, divorce… Sobriety, burnout, reinvention — I’ve healed, I’ve lost, I’ve grieved like anybody else.”
In August, Burke told Us Weekly she’d lost 41 pounds with a portion-controlled meal plan from Z.E.N. and emphasized that her focus is on well-being rather than a number on the scale. “I feel f—ing great; my energy is on another level,” she said. “That 109 [pounds] doesn’t matter — what matters is how I feel.”
Burke Has Already Addressed Weight-Loss Speculation
Burke’s body and face have been the subject of scrutiny since her earliest seasons on DWTS, a dynamic she’s repeatedly acknowledged as part of the job — but also one she’s tried to reframe on her own terms. By bringing transparency to changes in her life and health, she’s pushed back against rumor cycles that often reduce complex realities to a single word or hashtag. That context is part of why Dupré’s Ozempic jab, attached to a judging decision, resonated beyond a typical fan gripe about scores.
Judging DWTS Comes With Blowback
Burke recently discussed the challenges of sitting behind the desk, telling Page Six that judging carries a different kind of pressure — and plenty of backlash — compared to performing. Fans invest in celebrities and pros each week, and one divergent score is frequently enough to trigger online criticism.
DWTS has long balanced entertainment value with technical judging, and a 9 from a former pro doesn’t erase three 10s from the rest of the panel. Still, in the age of viral clips and instant reactions, the optics of a near-perfect routine missing perfection by one point can overshadow nuance — especially when a high-profile family member chimes in.
As of publication, neither Burke nor Alix Earle has publicly addressed Dupré’s viral remark. The clip continues to rack up views, and the conversation around DWTS judging — and body-shaming in the comment section — isn’t likely to quiet down soon. For now, the scoreboard stands, the leaderboard shifts, and the ballroom moves on to the next dance.
