Culture
Dancing with the Stars: Jen Affleck Addresses Slander Accusations Regarding Partner Jan Ravnik
Jen Affleck Claps Back at Criticism of DWTS Partner Jan Ravnik
The reality star addressed online “slander” after comments from former pros of the show, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd.
Jen Affleck is giving low scores to loud critics.
After ex DWTS pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd took a jab at Jan Ravnik’s turning on season 34, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star responded to online “slander” about her dance partner.
On Oct. 27, in a TikTok video, Jen typed her message on the phone in a very irritated manner while Jan, 30, was sitting next to her and shaking his head. The audio clip was playing: “Take it down, take it down, take it down, we need it gone. Take it down, that doesn’t represent me or what we need to be doing.”
Jen Affleck Reacts to Negativity with a Fun TikTok
The DWTS contestant, amid the criticism, showed her complete support for dance partner Jan Ravnik.
As a response, Jen looked very displeased with the situation and, with a big eye roll, she stopped typing. On the video, she put the words: “Me when anyone talks trash about Jan.”
The 26-year-old, together with her husband Zac, is raising kids Nora, 3, Luca, 2, and Penelope, 3 months. She wrote in the caption, “We don’t tolerate Jan slander in this house.”
Followers were very supportive of her and left a lot of comments. Among them was a comment from Dancing With the Stars pro Ezra Sosa, who said, “I’ll ride at dawn for this man.”
Ex-DWTS Pros Critic: Jan Ravnik Shouldn’t Have Been Cast
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd didn’t mince their words regarding the newcomer’s position in the dance competition.
Three days before, Maks Chmerkovskiy—who was a pro on the ABC series for 18 seasons from 2006 to 2017—and his wife Peta Murgatroyd, who was last seen in season 32 in 2023, gave their off-the-cuff opinions about the first season of Jan Ravnik as a pro after his stint as a backup dancer on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
“I’m sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars,” Maks, 45, said in the Oct. 24 episode of Peta’s The Penthouse With Peta podcast. “There is no foundation, technique, quality, or even understanding of the partnership. Man, I’m getting emotional. It is outrageous, and we can’t be more than a handful of people who are this blind and God forbid if we say what’s obvious.”
Maks and Peta Increase Their Criticism of Jan Ravnik’s DWTS Performance
The two have been doubting his ballroom skills after his “Wicked” themed dance with Jen Affleck.
While talking about Jen and Jan’s “Wicked” performance on Oct. 21, Maks Chmerkovskiy said, “He had no idea what foxtrot is supposed to look like. How is it possible to expect him to teach it and deliver that message in a format that is totally different from even ballroom dancing? We had this criticism weeks ago, and I’m like, ‘Bro, is anybody going to explain it to him?’”
Peta Murgatroyd, 39, also agreed with her husband’s opinion and expressed that she feels “bad” for Jen because she is “not getting the basics that she needs to.”
“He’s a Taylor Swift dancer. This is the obvious reason why he is hired,” Peta stated. “Apart from that, he is a good guy. He looks good. He obviously is a great dancer.”
On the other hand, she ended by saying, “It is ridiculous to give the job of teaching ballroom dancing to a celebrity to a non-ballroom dancer.”
