Posted on Sep 15, 2021

Julianne Hough Responded To "The Activist" Backlash And Apologized Again For Wearing Blackface

“I also heard you say that trying to value one cause over another felt like the Oppression Olympics."

BuzzFeed Staff

Julianne Hough, Priyanka Chopra, and Usher’s new show, The Activist, has been receiving a lot of backlash lately.

The TV show, which is about activists going “head-to-head in challenges to promote their causes,” has caused a huge uproar on social media.

Yuen Chan @xinwenxiaojie

As activists are jailed, maimed and killed around the world, this is grotesque. https://t.co/7Sdu9IdLzy
08:06 AM - 10 Sep 2021
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@xinwenxiaojie

Jameela Jamil 🌈 @jameelajamil

Couldn’t they just give the money it’s going to take to pay this UNBELIEVABLY expensive talent and make this show, directly to activist causes? Rather than turning activism into a game and then giving a fraction of the much needed money away in a “prize…?” People are dying. https://t.co/GLCUZcGgfb
03:30 AM - 10 Sep 2021
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@jameelajamil

Hough took to Instagram to reveal why the show is important.

“I signed on to this show because I was really excited to be a part of something that highlights, and is centered around sharing activists’ work on a larger platform,” she said.

“In doing so, I felt it would help educate, mobilize, and inspire people around the world to get involved in activism because many worthy causes need attention, funding, and most importantly, the power to effect real change.”

However, Hough noted that she also understood why some people felt like the show sounded like the "Oppression Olympics” and might have “disrespected” many activists.

"I do not claim to be an activist and wholeheartedly agree that the judging aspect of the show missed the mark and furthermore, that I am not qualified to act as a judge,” she said.

“On top of all this, many people are just becoming aware that I wore blackface in 2013 which only further added insult to injury.”

Hough explained that she is growing every day, and she will “continue to listen, unlearn, learn and take the time to be fully present with everything that [her fans] have all shared” because she wants to do better.

“I want to digest, understand, and respond in a way that is authentic and aligned with the woman I am becoming,” Hough said. “I also understand that there is no response that I could share that would make everyone happy. However, I want you to know that this is a conversation and I’m still listening.”

Julianne Hough Responded To "The Activist" Backlash And Apologized Again For Wearing Blackface

Julianne Hough, Priyanka Chopra, and Usher’s new show, The Activist, has been receiving a lot of backlash lately.

The TV show, which is about activists going “head-to-head in challenges to promote their causes,” has caused a huge uproar on social media.

Hough took to Instagram to reveal why the show is important.

“I signed on to this show because I was really excited to be a part of something that highlights, and is centered around sharing activists’ work on a larger platform,” she said.

“In doing so, I felt it would help educate, mobilize, and inspire people around the world to get involved in activism because many worthy causes need attention, funding, and most importantly, the power to effect real change.”

However, Hough noted that she also understood why some people felt like the show sounded like the "Oppression Olympics” and might have “disrespected” many activists.

"I do not claim to be an activist and wholeheartedly agree that the judging aspect of the show missed the mark and furthermore, that I am not qualified to act as a judge,” she said.

“On top of all this, many people are just becoming aware that I wore blackface in 2013 which only further added insult to injury.”

Hough explained that she is growing every day, and she will “continue to listen, unlearn, learn and take the time to be fully present with everything that [her fans] have all shared” because she wants to do better.

You can read Hough’s full response on her IG account. The Activist is still set to premiere on CBS on Oct. 22.

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