Julia Stiles sends subtle jab at Andy Cohen after he criticized her dancing ahead of DWTS
Julia Stiles has opened up about her dance journey and how it was impacted by none other than Andy Cohen, the chat show host since having spoken out too.
Season 35 of the dance competition series started on September, the first show of a two-night premiere kicking off at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT.
It saw Alfonso Roberio and Julianne Hough return as co-hosts, but a whole new bunch of stars take to the ballroom paired up with the pros to battle it out for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
The latest season features an array of talent from athletes, to reality TV stars, and more, including The Celebrity Traitor US' Maura Higgins, Olympic Gold Medalist Figure Skater Amber Glenn, and 10 Things I Hate About You actor Julia Stiles.
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Stiles debut performance on the show certainly didn't go unnoticed, the star paying tribute to the late Dolly Parton by dancing a Quickstep to '9 to 5' with pro partner Ezra Sosa.
It received a strong score of 18/30 placing them high on the leaderboard and was applauded by judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli as "graceful" and "radiant".
Alas, the actor's dancing hasn't always received such praise, Stiles revealing in the second show of the series during rehearsal with Sosa that she'd once been criticised by none other than Andy Cohen.
Stiles explained Cohen commented on her dancing ability while on Radio Andy in 2025, referencing her 2001 film Save the Last Dance in which she played a ballerina.
What did Andy Cohen say about Julia Stiles' dancing ability?
In the movie, Stiles' character auditions for Juilliard school, the dance sequence actually performed by a stunt double, Stiles later revealed.
However, in 2025 while on Radio Andy in discussion with one of Stiles' co-stars at the time, Kerry Washington, the host said: "Can we all just agree that Julia Stiles is not the greatest dancer on the planet?"
And years later, now on Dancing with the Stars, Stiles has a response for the host.
Julia Stiles' response to Andy Cohen's comment about her dancing
In mentioning the incident to her professional dance partner, Stiles called Cohen a 'diva'.
She explained Cohen's critique ended up so 'imprinted into [her] brain' she even ended up 'stopping taking dance classes because people expected her to be this perfect dancer'.
Her response now? "[To'] win the Mirrorball [trophy], sit on Andy’s [‘WWHL’] couch and be like, ‘Hey'," she joked.
Following her "beautiful" '9 to 5' Quickstep, host Derek Hough added: "Andy Cohen, you can eat it!"
And Cohen has since answered back too.
Andy Cohen's apology to Julia Stiles over dance comment
Hours after Dancing with the Stars aired, Cohen quickly branded himself 'Jackhole' of the day on his show Watch What Happens Live.
He also shared a clip of himself dancing at a concert, adding: “Julia, I am so sorry. I’m the last person who should be giving anyone feedback on their dancing.
"Great job, Julia Stiles. You killed it tonight! You did amazing tonight.”
He resolved to the audience: "This diva gives all of you permission to flood my inbox with 10 things you hate about me."
Ultimately, Stiles dance was incredible and was also about something far more important, the actor saying on the show that her main goal was to make Dolly 'proud,' the country singer having actually 'approved the song, specifically for [her]' just weeks before she passed away.
Stiles resolved: "I’m so honored to be dancing to her music and honoring her legacy. [...] She’s such a powerhouse and the song is so great. Like, it’s such an anthem. What a legend."
Topics: Celebrity, Andy Cohen, Entertainment, Dolly Parton
Poppy Bilderbeck