Dancing With the Stars pro Emma Slater debunked a major rumor swirling online about her celebrity partners.
Fans were convinced that Slater, 36, often gets paired with male stars over a certain age because of her role as a choreographer for the DWTS live show. However, Slater shut down the speculation in a TikTok comment.
“Emma said in an interview that she and Britt [Stewart] plan the tours so they usually take the ones who most likely won’t make it far,” the comment read.
“This is a rumor just FYI,” Slater replied, according to a DWTS fan account. “Not sure how it got started! I definitely don’t plan or choreograph the tour.”
@kristynburtt A hot take on Emma & Andy season. #dwts #emmaslater #andyrichter
It was announced last week that Slater would be paired with comedian Andy Richter for DWTS season 34, which premieres on Tuesday, September 16.
Slater told Luxury Handbag Shopping during the cast announcement press line on Wednesday, September 3, that she was “very happy” when hearing about her new partner.
“We have the same kind of energy,” Slater gushed. “We love to chat, love to talk and I love to hear about, honestly, all that you’ve done.”
Richter, 58, told Us that he had no dance experience going into the competition but said Slater “likes to have fun,” which has made the difference during their first rehearsals.
“This is not even close to being the area code of my comfort zone. This is really different for me,” Richter said. “And [it] makes me feel insecure, because I’m used to [getting] judged on talking, not on moving. It’s new.”
Richter said his biggest fear going into the season is an injury.
“That’s not even a joke,” he said. “It would just really suck to have that be the end of it. Or injuring Emma, that would be bad.”
Despite Richter’s worries, Slater teased that things have “been really great” so far.
“It’s really just about introducing dance to Andy,” she shared. “And he’s got great beat.”
Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC and Disney+ Tuesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
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