Tyra Banks Defends Olivia Jade Being Cast on 'Dancing With the Stars'

Tyra Banks believes in the new group of competitors on season 30 of dancing with the stars.
The host and executive producer of the show defended Olivia Jade casting while chatting with ET's Lauren Zima ahead of the new season. The 21-years old social media star -- and daughter of Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli -- may be more known for her family's college admissions scandal, but Banks isn't worried about that.
"I think Olivia is so brave. I think people don't know her; they know what happened to her," Banks explained. "She has said that she did not know about what was going on, and it's unfortunate, and it's very hurtful when something publicly happens, but you had nothing to do with it. So I trust that she says she didn't know."
Last year, Olivia's parents went to jail due to their involvement in the college admissions scandal. Loughlin and Giannulli paid $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters, Olivia and 22-year-old Isabella, admitted to the University of Southern California as recruits for the crew team. However, neither of them had ever participated in the sport. They initially pleaded not guilty to all charges levelled against them, claiming their payments were donations to the school and not bribes.
"She has to deal with that, and I think she's coming to Dancing With the Stars to be able to tell her story and show her vulnerability," Banks continued. "And is she a celebrity? Not traditionally, but what is a celebrity today? If that's the case, then no Instagram influencer is a celebrity. We are in a whole different world, and celebrity has taken a turn and a change."
"If people are talking about you, you're famous," Banks quipped, adding, "And you can be on Dancing With the Stars."
Olivia previously told ET that she hoped to be on the show would allow her to show "a different side of me."
"I just want to make it very clear that it is important to learn from the past, and I am a big believer in second chances," she said. "I am still young, and I am still trying to figure it out, and I hope that I continue to grow every day. And I think because this process is so challenging, you learn so much about yourself, which I am excited about. [I'm] putting myself outside of my comfort zone."
Banks, meanwhile, noted that she has no hand in the casting decision-making. She is, however, excited to reconnect with The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya moor this season.
"One of my best friends from 20 years ago, Kenya Moore, is on the show…Her being on the show has made us reconnect," Banks expressed. "I love her so much. Like my family, we were so close, spent the night in my house, like. And so for her to be there, I have to be very careful not to play favourites because she is like family, and I think Dancing With the Stars brought us together again. And I had nothing to do with casting her because I don't cast the show."
As for the show itself, Banks confirmed that there would not be a live audience again this year, explaining that she wants "the team to be as safe as possible" amid the pandemic. However, she promises great new additions and changes in return.
"The one thing I will say is with the addition of all the lights and the spectacle; it actually looks like a bigger show. It looks more like, 'Whoa!'" she teased. "So it's like a trade-off, you don't get the live audience, but you get a stage that looks spectacular."
She also shared that they will be challenging the pros never to like before and throwing "monkey wrenches" into the mix.
"There's a lot of changes," she shared before giving away some minor details. "There were things when I came on as executive producer of season 29; I had all these crazy ideas. But you know, you gotta kind of like ease your way into it, and we're doing some of them! I'm throwing some things in where the dancers are gonna be like, 'Really, Tyra? Thank you, really?'"
"Competitive things, things we've never done before, [throwing] a little wrench at these professional dancers that know how to do everything," she continued. "The celebs have to do it too, and they're already amateur. But it's the pros that are so perfect with everything. I think it's important to challenge ourselves constantly, or else we get a little bit too complacent. They're some of the best dancers in the world, and I think the best also need challenges to take them to the [next] level. So I can’t wait to see that."
As for celebrating the 30th season, Banks said there will "be some nostalgia, but we still wanna stay fresh and relevant and constantly looking to the future, and doing that thing that makes people go, 'Oh my gosh!'"
"We're gonna touch on some of that, but not so much that the whole season is themed to that. You can’t ignore your past because you don’t know where the hell you're going, but you can’t stay so connected to that so tightly because then you can't get to the next place, or the next level," she explained.

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