Fake Heiress Anna Delvey Isn’t Worried About ‘DWTS’ Fan Backlash

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Dancing With the Stars has made a controversial casting decision with the inclusion of Anna Delvey, aka Anna Sorokin. The infamous con artist who inspired the Netflix series Inventing Anna is still serving her house arrest sentence but has been granted permission to compete in Season 33 of the live dance competition series, spurring backlash among fans of the show on social media. TV Insider spoke with Delvey in person at the DWTS press event following the Season 33 cast announcement on Good Morning America on September 4, and she explained why she’s not worried about public perception heading into the season.

When asked if she’s concerned about being in such a bright spotlight by agreeing to compete (yes, she’ll be wearing her ankle bracelet throughout rehearsals and performances), Delvey had a simple response.

“No, not really,” she tells TV Insider. As her dance partner, Ezra Sosa (a new full-time pro who’s been in the show’s dance troupe since 2021), adds, “She’s got nothing to hide, girl.”

Delvey reveals why she agreed to compete in the first place. “I thought, why not? What’s the worst thing that could happen?” she tells TV Insider, adding, “I’m not going to go to jail over this, hopefully.”

“Well, if you dance too bad, we’ll see what the judges say,” Sosa jokes in response.

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Born Anna Sorokin in a Moscow suburb in 1991, the “notorious ankle bracelet fashionista,” as DWTS is describing her, started going by Anna Delvey in her 20s and used the fake persona to con herself into a luxurious lifestyle in New York City. She was arrested in 2017 in a sting operation carried out in California by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and the Los Angeles Police Department and was held in Rikers Island without bail. She was indicted for stealing approximately $275,000 a few weeks later.

Delvey’s case went to trial in 2018 while she was still in jail, and in 2019 she was found guilty on eight charges, including second-degree grand larceny, theft of services, and first-degree attempted grand larceny. Delvey was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison, of which she served three before being released on good behavior in February 2021. But Delvey, a German citizen, was then detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after.

She posted a $10,000 bond and was released but had been living in the U.S. under home confinement since as she awaited a deportation trial. She was supposed to be deported to Germany in March 2022, but her deportation failed. She’s been attending immigration hearings as recently as June 2024.

Delvey was wearing her ankle bracelet on the DWTS carpet on September 4 (and in her official photo below), along with large black sunglasses. She and Sosa have a playful energy together, with both clearly being excited to compete together.

Disney / Andrew Eccles

“I love Anna because she keeps it real,” Sosa tells us. “And as a gay man, I just find everything she says — I’m just obsessed. I really am. She is gay culture icon. When I found out she’s my partner, [my heart] skipped a beat and I fell off the treadmill. For real. So I feel like she keeps me very entertained. She has such dry humor that I just love so much. So I’m very excited she’s my partner.”

Delvey says Sosa is her ideal dance partner: “He’s great. I’m very happy that I got him and not somebody else. I didn’t want to end up with somebody who’s like earnest or too serious. I hope we’re going to have some fun.”

She reveals the dance genre she’s most looking forward to. “I want to do tango!” she says playfully. This is news to Sosa. “OH my god,” Sosa cries in response as he turns to Delvey and grabs her shoulders. “Wow! Really? You want to do tango? Did you hear that? She wants to do tango.”

 

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“That’s an exclusive,” Delvey says with a laugh. “I’m texting the producers right away,” Sosa adds, saying Delvey was so “go with the flow” in their one rehearsal and on press day that he had no idea she had any genre preferences for their upcoming performances. He also says she’s easy to teach and is a natural dancer (Delvey, 33, says she took dance classes from ages 4 to 12, but hasn’t danced recently).

“She’s willing to put in the work and I think honestly, that’s all you can ask for,” Sosa shares. “That is the most fun part. She wants to show up and she wants to do a good job, so I love that. But after I taught her basics, she was like, ‘That was really easy.’ I’m like, OK, really? We’ll make it super hard.”

What do you think of Delvey’s casting? Let us know in the comments below.

Dancing With the Stars, Season 33 Premiere, Tuesday, September 18, 8/7c, ABC, Streaming Live on Disney+