Julianne Hough decided to respond to the backlash “The Activist” reality show was receiving.
“The Activist,” announced to be hosted by Julianne Hough along with Usher and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, was negatively received after its concept was announced.
The premise of this new CBS reality show is “to bring meaningful change to one of three urgent universal causes: health, education and the environment,” through six activists.
In the show, these six chosen activists would compete in missions, media stunts, digital campaigns, and community events to garner the attention of decision-makers and serve as a call to action.
According to Deadline, a spokesperson for Global Citizen said, “This is not a reality show to trivialize activism. On the contrary, our aim is to support activists everywhere, show the ingenuity and dedication they put into their work, and amplify their causes to an even wider audience.”
Despite its intention to bring change to health, education, and the environment, many people have called the show “performative,” “tone-deaf,” “gross”, and “horrific.”
After the public’s negative reaction, host Julianna Hough decided to speak out about the issue on her Instagram.
In a lengthy post, the star said, “The last few days have been a powerful demonstration of real-time activism.”
“I am deeply listening with an open heart and mind,” she continued.
The former “Dancing With the Stars” host, went on to talk about concerns and comments the public made about the show and her lack of qualifications to judge the show.
“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.
She even spoke about a costume she wore in 2013 where she did blackface.
“Wearing blackface was a poor choice based on my own white privilege and white body bias that hurt people and is something that I regret doing to this day,” she said. “The regret that I live with pales in comparison to the lived experiences of so many,” she added.
Near the end of her post, the star said she would “continue to listen, unlearn, learn and take the time to be fully present with everything” that has been shared with her.
Hough concluded her post by saying, “I also understand 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.”
CBS representatives have not made any comments and neither have Usher or Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
Photo Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FILMMAGIC
