Charity Lawson is opening up about the painful experience of being a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars,” months after her fourth-place finish.
“Even though ‘Dancing with the Stars’ was an amazing experience, I truly faced an uphill battle with my mental health during the show,” Lawson shared on the “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast, hosted by former professional dancer Cheryl Burke, who has expressed her own worries about the program since she exited in 2022.
Lawson, who appeared in season 20 of “The Bachelorette” after being on Zach Shallcross’ season of “The Bachelor,” mentioned that the backlash and bullying she faced during the dance show “hit me like a ton of bricks.”
CHERYL BURKE DISCUSSES THE ‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’ CURSE
Charity Lawson, reflecting on her journey from the “Bachelor” franchise, felt ready for the “Dancing with the Stars” fan base. (Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images)
“I entered the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ fandom thinking, ‘This will be easy,’” she continued. “But it turned out to be significantly worse than anything I faced on ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette.’ I received death threats just for existing.”
Burke expressed her disbelief at Lawson’s revelation, to which Lawson remarked, “In some ways, I anticipated this. After coming off the ‘Bachelorette,’ I thought, ‘I can handle it.’”
Charity Lawson, partnered with Artem Chigvintsev, found the social media comments to be harsh. (Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images)
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Lawson informed Burke that the negativity was relentless. “Critiques for not performing well enough, accusations of being arrogant, being seen as entitled, and labeled the meanest contestant—it’s outrageous. I’m sharing this for the first time openly,” she confessed.
“It became clear that I had to prioritize my mental well-being and ignore all the hate. It was incredibly harmful, night after night,” she explained regarding her experience.
To improve things, Lawson “blocked and filtered” malicious comments on her social media but noted that the official “Dancing with the Stars” accounts were a different issue.
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“For not performing enough, for being conceited, for being entitled, for being the biggest b— on the cast. No, it’s crazy. Like I’m telling you this and for anyone that doesn’t know I’m saying this too, this is like the first time I’m openly talking about it…The only thing I’ve ever shared in terms of like the treatment I got on the show was the statement my brother put out at the end of the season.”
“I had to bring it up with [partner] Artem [Chigvintsev], explaining, ‘This is sadly what we’re up against.’ If you compare it to other contestants this season, they didn’t face this level of scrutiny,” she shared, with the exception of Harry Jowsey, who consistently struggled with his performances.
“It was astonishing to see, and I couldn’t comprehend it,” Lawson reflected on the harsh comments. She did approach the producers for help, but explained that “it was already too late” for meaningful change.
Charity Lawson eventually informed Artem Chigvintsev about the harsh social media backlash. (Christopher Willard/Disney via Getty Images)
“That’s why I emphasized that it’s not wholly unexpected … Someone reached out and mentioned a similar issue Simone [Biles] faced in her season [24]. It seems like a trend, which is quite disheartening,” she added. “I’m just sharing my experience and emotions … as a Black woman in reality TV, the same protections don’t seem to apply.”
Simone Biles was a contestant on season 24 of “Dancing with the Stars,” ultimately finishing 4th like Charity Lawson. (Eric McCandless / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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“Ultimately, I had to suppress everything, and honestly, it got to a point where I was just trying to survive … just trying to make it through the season.”
Lawson mentioned that her portrayal on the show did not work in her favor, with rehearsal packages edited to highlight scoring.
“It felt like they were trying to shape the audience’s view of me as someone who only cares about scores, someone who thinks she’s superior. But honestly, I don’t think I’m better than anyone; I just want to reach where my hard work ought to be.”
Charity Lawson believes that her on-screen portrayal actively contributed to the public’s negative perception. (Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images)
“It’s almost like skewing the viewers to perceive me in this way of like, ‘All she cares about is scores … She thinks she’s better than everyone.’ But I’m like, at the end of the day, I don’t think I’m better than anyone, I’m just trying to get to the point where I feel like I should be, or honestly, where my hard work has taken me.”
“At times, it felt like my confidence and dedication were incorrectly seen as entitlement or an ‘above me’ attitude. I work hard and don’t want to be any worse off than when I started. If that intimidates you, that’s on you, not me … You may not like me or my dancing, but you will respect me.”
Charity Lawson attributes her resilience during the turbulence to her fiancé Dotun Olubeko. (Emma McIntyre/Variety via Getty Images)
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Despite everything, Lawson is grateful for the experience, praising the support she received from Chigvintsev and her fiancé Dotun Olubeko.
“Dotun reminded me, ‘You worked so hard … it would be disheartening to look back and know you gave up or left early. I would be really disappointed in myself,’” she reflected. “I’m thankful I persevered through it.”
