Jan Ravnik Responds to DWTS Vet’s ‘Hate’

Jan Ravnik addressed people ‘spreading the hate’ just shortly after his elimination on Dancing with the Stars.

In response to Dancing with the Stars vet Maks Chmerkovskiy’s criticisms of his casting on the dance competition series, he said he had ‘no comment.’

However, the 30-year-old dancer — who previously served as Taylor Swift’s backup dancer during her Eras Tour — did address those ‘trying to stay relevant.’

This comes after the former DWTS pro, 45, claimed Ravnik had ‘absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars.’

Just shortly after he was eliminated from the show alongside his partner Jen Affleck on Tuesday, he told Entertainment Tonight: ‘I have no comment on that. Look, I got all the love on this show.’

He continued: ‘All the praise from the judges also, like everyone gave me so much love. 

‘Whoever is saying, outside, the people who [are] trying to stay relevant and spreading the hate, this is not a way to do it,’ Ravnik added. ‘And I never will spread or take the hate.’ 

While Ravnik decided to shake it off, his dance partner Affleck, 26, jokingly held up her fists and told him to ‘hold me back.’  

Ravnik’s response comes after Chmerkovskiy criticized Ravnik’s dancing skills. 

Chmerkovskiy joined his wife Peta Murgatroyd for last Friday’s episode of her podcast, The Penthouse with Peta, to discuss DWTS’s latest Wicked night episode. 

In the podcast episode, Murgatroyd said Ravnik should be given ‘grace for not understanding foxtrot technique.’ In response, Chmerkovskiy argued that ‘we do not have to.’ 

‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars. There’s zero foundation, technique, quality, understanding of the partnership.

‘Bro, I’m getting emotional. It is absurd,’ he added. 

He continued: ‘This is unreal, how blind we have to be, and, God forbid, say what’s obviously there — he had no idea what [a] foxtrot is supposed to look like.’

Chmerkovskiy said he had ‘zero against him whatsoever’ but said Ravnik being casted was ‘a missed opportunity.’ 

Murgatroyd said Ravnik’s experience as a backup dancer for Swift was the ‘obvious reason why he is hired.’ 

However, she conceded to his argument and said that ‘hiring a non-ballroom dancer to teach ballroom dancing to a celebrity as a job is outrageous.’ 

Ravnik performed with Affleck to Swift’s hit song Look What You Made Me Do on Tuesday night before their elimination.

In a conversation with People, he gushed about how that was his partner’s ‘best performance.’

‘I think throughout this journey we’ve had a lot of people just doubt us,’ Affleck said about their time on the long-running series. 

‘There’s been a lot of just negativity, and with a lot of people doubting me, me being postpartum, I just kind of wanted to have a moment where I could just prove everyone wrong,’ she continued.

‘And just like Taylor did in the song, or what she talks about is basically how she used her haters to fuel her, and that’s exactly what I did tonight.’ 

After being eliminated, Ravnik said he was ‘just happy.’

‘I was first worried who’s going to be my partner, and I got the best partner in the show,’ he explained. ‘And that’s this woman here. And then it was great experience. 

He continued: ‘It was different. It was a lot of love inside the show. Everyone’s so supportive. Also, all the contestants, all the production, the pros, everyone’s the best here. So it was a good experience.’