Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson dealt with some pretty harsh feedback this week on Dancing With the Stars, specifically from Carrie Ann Inaba, who called them out for not incorporating enough actual samba into their routine—and accused Jenna of choreographing a lift.
Amid a ton of debate over the dance, Harry hit the official DWTS Instagram comments and wrote, “Everyone take a deep breath! It’s all going to be okay! Lots of madness in this world already so let’s just enjoy being entertained!!! I got to dance on national television again and people felt many things! I love it all. Thank you for watching and caring so much tho.”
However, he also took a moment to defend himself and Jenna from a fan who claimed their dance “wasn’t a Samba,” and accused them of doing the “same tired freestyle.”
“I worked my ass off on the samba in this dance,” Harry wrote. “Slingshot, promenade runs, whisks...nothing my body is use to. And last week was full of tango. And the week before was straight up Jive with hints of old Hollywood musical. I do take chances and they don’t always land for everyone. I respect the songs and always try to dance TO the music while honoring the theme that we are tasked to incorporate. Samba to Yeah! is not an easy task. Hope this provides context on my end and thanks for watching!!”
Love him. And we can all agree Jenna and Harry’s dance was incredible (regardless of the lift debate), so time for a re-watch: