Anna Delvey slammed as she reveals how she ended up on ‘DWTS’ Season 33 amid house arrest

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Anna Delvey is making headlines for her unexpected stint on 'Dancing with the Stars' despite her ongoing house arrest. The infamous con artist shared how she maneuvered through legal red tape to join the show. 

On September 4, 'Good Morning America' announced additional cast members for the season, including Phaedra Parks, Eric Roberts, Tori Spelling, Dwight Howard, Brooks Nader, Joey Graziadei, Jenn Tran, Chandler Kinney, Stephen Nedoroscik, Reginald VelJohnson, and others. 

'Dancing with the Stars' Season 33, produced by BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions, premieres on Tuesday, September 17, at 8 pm ET on ABC and Disney+, with episodes available for streaming the following day on Hulu.

Anna Delvey reveals how she waited 10 days to join 'DWTS'

Following the announcement of the Season 33 cast on 'Good Morning America', the convicted con artist, 33, spoke about how she received permission to participate in the show while under house arrest. 

To provide background, Delvey, born Anna Sorkin, gained fame for masquerading as a wealthy German heiress and defrauding high-profile individuals, banks, and hotels. Arrested in 2017 and convicted of multiple charges including grand larceny and theft of services in 2019, she served a sentence of four to 12 years but was released early in February 2021 for good behavior. However, she was soon detained by ICE for violating her visa terms and has been under house arrest in New York City while fighting deportation.

Delvey explained to PEOPLE that 'Dancing with the Stars' reached out to her team, prompting her to request permission from ICE to travel to Los Angeles for filming.

She detailed, “Well, [DWTS] approached my team and I had to request ICE for permission to travel out of state because it's being filmed in Los Angeles and I'm based in New York,”

“It took them about 10 days to get it through the system and to get everything approved,” she said. “By the time I got the approval, it was very close to the starting day so I kind of flew to LA pretty much the next day and I just decided why not?.” 

When asked about potential backlash regarding her casting, Delvey dismissed concerns, stating, “It's just not that serious. If someone is that upset about casting on a dancing show, I don't know what to tell them.”

Delvey will compete on the show with her partner, Ezra Sosa, while wearing her ankle monitor.  She assured that the device wouldn’t affect her performance. “It’s actually pretty light,” she said. 

Internet claims Anna Delvey is a 'felon'

The internet quickly discovered that Anna Delvey had joined Season 33 of 'Dancing with the Stars', sparking a wave of criticism from fans. Many labeled her inclusion as a terrible idea, mocking the notion of a convicted criminal participating in the show, and some even referred to her as a felon.

One user was shocked, "I can’t believe they brought her on! Ridiculous!! I thought this was Dancing With the Stars. She’s a felon. Not a star!"

Another wrote, "Let's reward bad behavior, ...as usual."

Someone else questioned, "Is Dancing with the Stars that desperate for people!!!" 

While one user wrote, "This is a new low for the show," another user on Facebook said, "The show going downhill quicks."

One more person deemed, "This is a horrible idea!!!" 

Another social media user stated, "Good job, dancing with the criminals! That should be your name now since you can’t find anyone else to do it so you decide to invite well known fraudster/identity theft to do your show.."

One individual stated, "Her kind of behavior should not be rewarded."

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online