Julianne Hough’s Viral Bikini Post Led Some Critics To Tell Her To ‘Eat A Cheeseburger.’ Her Response?

Julianne Hough standing in front of a sparkly gold background tucking her hair behind her ear.
(Image credit: Disney/Andrew Eccles)

Julianne Hough is hard at work currently co-hosting Dancing with the Stars, and between episodes that are airing on the 2024 TV schedule, she’s been posting about her “Sunday Spa Day” and wellness routine on social media. However, her latest bikini post about how she spent her weekend was met with a lot of criticism, and now, she’s responded to it.

As I mentioned, the dancer took to Instagram to post this cute “Sunday Spa Day” video that featured her in a sauna, bouncing on a trampoline and doing a cold plunge while wearing a swimsuit, check it out:

After that post went up, many commented on Hough’s looks, with some claiming that she’s too thin. For example, @staceyml23 commented that she should “eat some milkshakes and cheeseburgers.” Following all these, the Dancing with the Stars co-host broke down basically everything featured in her video through a seven-point IG story (via People). She started by saying:

I don’t usually address comments like this but I’m going to say a few things about this video.

Toward the bottom of her post, she addressed the comments about her body specifically. She explained:

My body has never been healthier – I was full of inflammation in my 20’s and had a marker for an auto immune that I addressed and committed to over a year and a half ago. I’ve frozen my eggs over the last few years which also shifts the body fluctuation. I’ve never been healthier or happier from the inside out. Grief, loss. Sadness and fear also get sorted in the body and we hold on to that in different ways. I made it a huge priority to accept, express, process and release a lot of emotions over the years.

Continuing on, Hough wrote that her “playful side” is the “most authentic version” of herself and that her showing it reflects how safe she feels. She addressed those who were made uncomfortable by her post and her attitude in it by writing:

For those of you genuinely concerned because this is unusual for you to see, I understand that what you don’t understand feels unfamiliar and sometimes scary. I’m going to continue feeling safe within myself regardless of the outpouring of your comments, and have fun with life which can be really heavy and challenging. So why not be playful and laugh and enjoy the journey instead of taking everything so seriously.

The dancer explained the health benefits of each part of the video too. She noted that her black bucket hat was a “protective cap” called a “banya hat” that makes it so the heat does not burn her hair. The “red light therapy” shown was explained as a way to “kill two birds with one stone” while she was in the sauna.

She explained that the trampoline she was bouncing on was a friend’s, and that it’s part of a wellness routine – which also includes the sauna and a cold plunge – that “promotes lymphatic drainage which helps protect the body from disease and infection.”

Overall, Hough’s explanation dived deep into the health benefits of everything she was doing in the post, and she addressed the criticism by saying that she’s “never been healthier.”

Julianne Hough has always been open about her health and wellness, and this explanation provided a lot of context about why she does what she does to take care of her body.

Now, we can see her continue to be her happy and healthy self as she continues to co-host Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars. While we’re only two weeks in, there are already frontrunners emerging, and we can’t wait to see them and Hough back in the ballroom next week.

To see Hough and all the competitors having a ball in the ballroom, you can catch DWTS on ABC or with a Disney+ subscription every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Along with that, make sure to stay tuned to CinemaBelnd where we’ll keep you updated on the show and Julianne Hough.

Riley Utley
Weekend Editor

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.