Anna Delvey Dancing With The Stars Debut: Ankle Monitor Steals Spotlight

Dancing With the Stars is sparking controversy once again, this time for featuring convicted scammer Anna Delvey (Sorokin) as a contestant in season 33. Delvey, who is under house arrest, received special permission from ICE to travel out of state for the show. This decision has drawn backlash, with many questioning why someone with a criminal past should be allowed to participate.

Anna Delvey Dances Into Controversy on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Debut

Anna appeared on the show's new season premiere wearing an ankle monitor. She was convicted in 2019 for defrauding banks, hotels, and friends by posing as a wealthy German heiress.  Addressing the ankle monitor, she said, "It’s actually not a big issue at all. It’s pretty light, and I asked them to make it tight so it doesn’t dangle. So it’s not so bad."

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Her dance partner, Ezra Sosa, embraced the quirky accessory, calling it "the real star of the show, let’s be honest here." He also downplayed its significance, adding, "It’s not like an ankle weight... It’s like literally less than a pound, and it’s not a big deal."

Addressing the criticism, DWTS showrunner Conrad Green told Variety, "We’ve had other people on the show who’ve had criminal issues in the past. She served her time. I think it’s perfectly valid for her to be on the show, and I think people have been really curious to see how she performs."

Although Sorokin's debut performance, set to Sabrina Carpenter's Espresso, didn’t go exactly as planned, she remained upbeat. "I feel relieved that it’s over," she said. "I feel like my dance could have been a little bit better, but I’m happy I’ve done this, and it was a great experience all over." With Anna and her sparkly ankle monitor in the spotlight, it remains to be seen how long her run on the show will last.

Who is Anna Delvey?

Born Anna Sorokin, Delvey was originally from Russia, before she moved to New York. Under her alias Anna Delvey, she became an entirely different person, putting on the persona of a rich NYC heiress. She stayed at expensive hotels, ate out at lavish hotels, went to New York fashion shows, and travelled to exotic locations via private jet. The cause for her insane wealth? She defrauded several national and international banks, organizations, and even her friends to the tune of over 200,000 dollars. 

After a point, her extravagant lies about her imaginary 'trust fund' caught up with her, and she was arrested and charged with 6 counts of grand larceny in 2017- for which she was found guilty of three. She was released from prison in 2021 into house arrest, where she's fighting her impending deportation. 

 Jessica Pressler, a former friend of Anna's turned victim to her financial machinations, wrote an article for The New York Magazine- “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People”. This article inspired many more of its kind, along with a book by Pressler, and the Netflix miniseries, "Inventing Anna."

New York Fashion Week 2023

At New York Fashion Week this year, Anna made her return to New York's high society in the fashion world in an unconventional way- by hosting a fashion show on her apartment building's rooftop. 

In collaboration with Kelly Cutrone, a publicist and owner of the PR agency People's Revolution, the fashion show showcased the work of designer Shao Yang and her new label Shao. The fashion show was hosted on her rooftop so that she wouldn't violate the terms of her house arrest by going outside, keeping her within the premises and involved with New York's fashion scene.

Given her history with New York's fashion scene and her taste for expensive things, her hosting the fashion show has raised eyebrows. In an interview with CNN, she discussed how much she loved Shao's new collection. "It's all about Shao," she stated. "People can think whatever they want, but we just like having fun and they can take it or leave it. Who cares?"