The ladies of The View aren’t too pleased with con artist Anna Delvey being cast in the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars.
The Inventing Anna subject, born Anna Sorokin, was convicted of grand larceny and other financial crimes in 2019 after she pretended to pose as a fake German heiress. Delvey served almost four years in prison and has remained on house arrest since her release in 2022.
In order to compete on Dancing With the Stars, Delvey told Entertainment Weekly that she had to “get permission from ICE to be able to travel out of state” in advance. Her pro partner, newcomer Ezra Sosa, also noted that he plans to bejewel Delvey’s ankle monitor for the show.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, however, isn’t so easily swindled. “I’m here for a redemption arc, not a rehabilitation arc, and the difference is this: somebody who has owned and taken responsibility for what they did wrong,” she explained. “Martha Stewart, she did jail time. I am here to see Martha Stewart thrive. Even Gypsy Rose [Blanchard], I put her into that category because she did the time and acknowledged wrongdoing for what she did. I’m not convinced that this person [Delvey] has.”
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Griffin continued, “[Delvey] still owes people money and con artists tend to remain con artists, so I would just say if you’re around her there, I would be wary of the schemes she might be working.”
Whoopi Goldberg noted that she didn’t understand why Delvey gets to stay within the country at all. given that she was born in Russia. When Joy Behar suggested it was because Delvey was “pretty,” Goldberg responded, “Well that’s a little bit of a piss off. I have to tell you. I like pretty people too, but I gotta say I’m listening to people bitch about what’s going on at the border, and I listen to people bitch about all these people who shouldn’t be here, what the hell, man? How does this work?”
While Goldberg acknowledged that they’ve got to “support the network” (The View and Dancing With the Stars are both on ABC), she called the move to bring Delvey onboard the series a real chin flick in the face to those who have been in similar circumstances and, she added, “to families torn apart.”
Earlier in their conversation, Sunny Hostin also similarly questioned if Delvey was receiving the proper punishment for her crimes, noting that she “defrauded so many people” as a scammer. “What is the consequence of it?” She asked. “A federal bejeweled ankle monitor and a spot on a television show.”
Sara Haines interrupted, “We have a felon running for president. Why are we surprised?”
Hostin agreed, “And that too! I like a come-up, but when are there consequences to people’s actions in this country?”
