"The View" hosts take issue with “Dancing with the Stars" casting fraudster Anna Delvey

Whoopi Goldberg led the charge, asking why Delvey can dance while others face deportation under much harsher limits

Published September 5, 2024 6:57PM (EDT)

Anna Delvey poses on July 13, 2023 in New York City.  (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Anna Delvey poses on July 13, 2023 in New York City. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Whoopi Goldberg and her cohosts on "The View" called out the apparent immigration double standard in celebrity grifter Anna Delvey’s casting on “Dancing with the Stars,” despite her pending legal case.

Goldberg called specific attention to the treatment of other immigrants accused of crimes and questioned Delvey’s special treatment, as she’s set to appear alongside Olympian Ilona Maher, NBA star Dwight Howard, and "90210" actress Tori Spelling

“I think back to all the families who’ve had family members arrested by ICE who have gone to the courts to get their dad or their brother or their mother back,” Goldberg said on a Thursday episode of the show. “This woman, they gave her permission to go do this.”

Delvey, who was announced on Wednesday as part of the 33rd season of "DWTS" and spotted sporting an ankle monitor in promotional images, previously said she “got permission from ICE” to do the show, a green light that didn’t sit well with Goldberg.

“Is there a two-tiered system here with ICE?” Goldberg asked.

Alyssa Farah Griffin went on to note that she isn’t as worried about Delvey’s pending case or criminal history of defrauding New York’s elite, but rather her failure to express remorse for her schemes.

“Martha Stewart, she did jail time. I am here to see Martha Stewart thrive. Even Gypsy Rose, 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,” Griffin said.

The stars were seemingly unconvinced that Delvey could be rehabilitated.

“She defrauded so many people and then spent about two years in prison, and then had to spend another 18 months in prison for overstaying her welcome and overstaying her visa,” Sunny Hostin added. “And what is the, I don’t know, consequence of it? A bejeweled ankle monitor. A federal bejeweled ankle monitor and a spot on a television show.”

“DWTS,” which airs on ABC, the same network as “The View,” has previously featured controversial contestants, including former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

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