A Public Response to Past Shade
The Season 35 premiere of Dancing With the Stars on September 16, 2026, became the stage for an unexpected celebrity showdown. Contestant Julia Stiles, 45, used her debut appearance to address past public criticism from television host Andy Cohen, with support from judge Derek Hough.
During the episode, Us Weekly reported that Stiles confronted the memory of a 2025 interview on Cohen’s Sirius XM radio show. In that exchange, Cohen had questioned Stiles’ dancing abilities, specifically referencing her iconic role in the 2001 film Save the Last Dance. Stiles, speaking to her professional partner Ezra Sosa, revealed that the host’s comments had remained “imprinted” in her mind, contributing to her long-standing hesitancy to dance professionally in the years since the film’s release.
The Judges Weigh In
The tension culminated following Stiles and Sosa’s quickstep performance to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” which earned them a score of 18 out of 30. During the critique, judge Derek Hough did not hold back his opinion regarding Cohen’s previous remarks. As E! News documented, Hough punctuated his feedback by telling Cohen, “You can eat it!”
Stiles has been open about her struggles with the legacy of her performance in Save the Last Dance, noting that she often felt immense pressure to live up to a standard set by a character she portrayed as a teenager, even though the film’s most complex dance sequences were performed by a body double. She expressed that her participation in Dancing With the Stars is a personal effort to reclaim her relationship with dance.
Accountability and Moving Forward
Following the broadcast, Andy Cohen addressed the situation on his own program, Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. He offered an apology to Stiles, labeling himself the “Jackhole of the Day.” Cohen joked about his own lack of dancing prowess, showing footage of himself dancing at a concert, and offered his support for Stiles’ run on the show. Stiles, meanwhile, has framed her goal as winning the mirrorball trophy, jokingly declaring her intent to take the prize to Cohen’s couch as a final resolution to the matter.