Harry Shum Jr. Shares Sweet Message to DWTS Castmates Amid Lift Drama

The Grey’s Anatomy star went on to praise Connor Woods for having “such a levelheaded perspective on everything,” Tatyana Ali for being an “advocate for mothers holding on to their joy while doing one of the hardest jobs on the planet—being a mother” and Jackson Olson for “playing baseball games, traveling, and then learning these challenging dances all at the same time.”

Along with applauding Amber Glenn’s “duality” and Ezra Frech’s “charisma,” Shum also gave sweet shoutouts to Tyler Cameron, Maura Higgins, Julia Stiles and Jenna Dewan.

But the Crazy Rich Asians star didn’t forget to highlight his own experience in the ballroom.

“Proud of you for not letting anyone take your light and spark away no matter how much they try,” he wrote. “Keep being you.”

And while Shum didn’t specify exactly what inspired him to share his touching post, it came just days after he and Johnson’s performance to Usher’s “Yeah” on the Oct. 13 Super Bowl-themed episode, which ignited a discourse online due to Inaba’s subsequent comments.

The DWTS judge called out Shum and Johnson for featuring a “lift” into their routine, which is prohibited in the samba, before reading the definition of the move from a piece of paper.

The tense moment seemingly shocked the ballroom, and created waves beyond the show, with Johnson’s husband and fellow pro Val Chmerkovskiy even weighing in.

And as Shum wants fans to focus on the joy DWTS brings, his castmates are following in step. After all, Cameron shared a similar heartwarming message to combat the negativity.

“I feel like DWTS online discourse has gotten very negative lately so let’s put some positivity out there,” he wrote in an Oct. 16 Instagram video that featured behind-the-scenes footage of Frech in the ballroom. “What’s a moment of yours that is your favorite? I’ll start, I love watching the intensity and focus of Ezra and Amber when they take the stage. Elite competitors who own the room and lock in and dominate the floor.”

“I took this video in awe of the 21 year old man,” Cameron added, “mature beyond [his] years, making a name for himself on a stage that’s not normal to him and owning it.”

For a closer look at Dancing With the Stars’ season 35 cast, keep reading…