While Len Goodman’s tribute on Dancing with the Stars brought tears to many’s eyes, some fans took issue with dancers who were not included in it, like Cheryl Burke and Sharna Burgess. Among those who didn’t love the decision was Burgess’ fiancée Brian Austin Green, and after his post, fans of DWTS were slamming the show for not inviting these two pros back for the tribute performance.
Following the passing of Len Goodman, the show immediately started to honor his legacy. He was a judge for 31 seasons before retiring, and he was a staple of the Dancing with the Stars family. Along with renaming the show’s prize the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, the cast and crew also paid tribute to him with a dance that he would have “loved.” The number included pros who were part of earlier seasons and some who compete now. However, two notable former cast members, Cheryl Burke and Sharna Burgess weren’t there. Speaking out about these two, Brian Austin Green posted a now deleted statement on Instagram:
I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I was for @sharnaburgess to not be invited for the tribute last night. It’s disappointing as well that none of her 'family in the ballroom' stuck up for her or spoke out. She’s an incredible soul and has always been a friend to everyone. She deserved better. @familystickstogether.
For the number, quite a few dancers who were part of the show’s earlier years returned, including Mark Ballas, Jenna Johnson, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Peta Murgatroyd, Louis van Amstel, Karina Smirnoff and Tony Dovolani. Derek and Julianne Hough, who used to be pros but are now a judge and co-host, respectively, also were part of it. The pros from this season’s cast also took part in the dance. However, Cheryl Burke and Sharna Burgess were not involved even though they were with the series for 26 and 14 seasons, respectively, before leaving DWTS.
After seeing Brian Austin Green’s post, Cheryl Burke replied, writing a simple:
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
While her response didn’t slam Dancing with the Stars, other fans were not afraid to call out the show. Some people wrote:
- Cheryl Burke wasn’t invited either & she was a HUGE part of DWTS & Len 🤷🏻♀️ -gagesavannah
- All of the incredible dancers who have been a part of the DWTS family, should have been offered an invitation to the show. It was about Len. It shouldn’t have been about anybody’s personal feelings towards whatever. Thats really such a shame that Sharna and Cheryl weren’t included. -rebeccaleigh423
- Sharna and Cheryl should’ve absolutely been there!! ❤️❤️ -h.volzke
- I missed her there and I don’t understand why she was not included! What has happened for DWTS to be angry with her? Otherwise why wouldn’t she be there? She was on the show for so long and even toured with them!! I went to see the live show mainly to see her in person! -harobin24
- I agree it was definitely not right that sharna or Cheryl weren't asked specially when they have been a huge part of the show -countrygirl203
After her fiancée posted about her not being part of the tribute, and many fans noted that she should have been there, Burgess responded, posting the following statement to her Instagram story:
She noted her appreciation for her partner, however, also made it clear that she didn’t want any drama. She simply wanted to honor Goodman. While there are many who wanted her to be part of the tribute, and she was thankful to have such a supportive significant other, she also explained that she watched dance, loved it, and called it “perfect.”
While there seemed to be a bit of turbulence among fans when it came to this tribute, overall it was a beautiful way to show their love for Len Goodman, and as Derek Hough said, it was important for them to honor the late judge in some way this season.
If you would like to go back and watch the tribute to Len Goodman, you can stream Dancing with the Stars with a Disney+ subscription. You can also catch new episodes on the 2023 TV schedule every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC or Disney+.
