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Dancing With the Stars contestant Jackson Olson addressed backlash after a since-deleted comment mocked Guillermo Rodriguez’s dancing. Olson apologized publicly and told E! News that he and Rodriguez spoke in person and were on good terms.
Jackson Olson joked about being “canceled” in an Oct. 11 TikTok, days after backlash over a remark about fellow Dancing With the Stars contestant Guillermo Rodriguez’s dancing. Olson had apologized publicly and told E! News that he and Rodriguez spoke privately, with both indicating their relationship was fine.
In the TikTok, Olson filmed his professional dance partner, Emma Slater, leaving a rehearsal studio with her boyfriend and fellow pro, Alan Bersten. They mouthed along to “Gotta Go My Own Way” from High School Musical 2. Olson captioned the scene: “When your dance partner has to leave you for her boyfriend.”
He added that his baseball team, the Savannah Bananas, had lost to the Texas Tailgaters in the inaugural Banana Bowl championship on Oct. 11. “First I get canceled, then we lose the Banana Bowl and now this?!” Olson wrote in the caption. The post made light of the backlash, but did not add new details about the earlier exchange.
The controversy began after Olson commented on a video of another athlete recreating a dance performed by Rodriguez and his partner, Witney Carson. According to Cosmopolitan, Olson wrote, “Seriously how did you do this better than him with 2 hours of rehearsal.” The comment was later deleted.
A Public Apology and Private Conversation
The exchange drew attention because it involved two castmates competing on the same season of Dancing With the Stars, where public support and relationships between participants are part of the show’s conversation. Olson’s remark compared Rodriguez’s dancing unfavorably with another person’s performance; the response then prompted Olson to address the comment publicly.
Olson’s apology and account of a face-to-face conversation offer a clearer picture than the viral remark alone. He said he did not intend to create negativity, accepted responsibility for his words and said he cared about Rodriguez. His later “canceled” joke suggests he was willing to refer to the reaction, but it does not establish how every viewer or cast member felt about the incident.
For viewers, the distinction matters: the reported conflict is a public comment and the backlash that followed, while Olson and Rodriguez’s reported private conversation points to a personal resolution between them. The available account does not show that the incident changed the show’s competition or the contestants’ participation.
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How the Dance Comment Spread
Olson is a Savannah Bananas player paired with Slater on the show. Rodriguez, known for his work on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is partnered with Carson. The two pairings put Olson and Rodriguez in the same cast, though the supplied reporting does not describe any formal dispute between them before the comment.
On Oct. 6, Olson posted an apology on TikTok. He said he was sorry that his comment had caused “this much unnecessary negativity,” wrote that he had not intended that result, and said he took full responsibility. He ended by urging people to focus on dancing.
In comments to E! News that day, Olson said he went to Rodriguez’s trailer and they talked for about 30 minutes. Olson recalled telling him he had meant nothing by the remark. He said Rodriguez replied that he understood and that it was “totally fine.” The Oct. 11 TikTok followed those statements and paired the “canceled” joke with the Banana Bowl loss and Slater leaving rehearsal.
“To G and to all of you, I am truly sorry that my comment I made the other day caused this much unnecessary negativity.”
— Jackson Olson, in an Oct. 6 TikTok apology
The Response Beyond the Two Contestants
The available reporting does not establish how many viewers criticized Olson, how long the backlash lasted, or whether the comment affected the contestants’ work on the show. The original remark appeared in a comment that was later deleted, and the account of Rodriguez’s response comes through Olson’s recollection to E! News rather than a separate statement from Rodriguez in the supplied reporting.
It is also not clear whether Olson’s Oct. 11 joke was intended as a direct response to new criticism or simply a lighthearted reference to the episode of events he listed in the caption. No further statement from Rodriguez is included, and there is no reported disciplinary action or change to either contestant’s role.
The Season Continues on the Ballroom Floor
The immediate next development is whether either contestant comments further as the season continues. Based on the reported statements, Olson and Rodriguez have already discussed the remark privately, and Olson has apologized publicly. No additional resolution, show response or future meeting has been announced.
Viewers can follow the contestants’ performances and any new statements from them or the program. Until further information is shared, the confirmed account remains limited to Olson’s deleted comment, his apology, his description of the conversation with Rodriguez and the later TikTok joke.
Key Questions
What did Jackson Olson say about Guillermo Rodriguez?
Olson wrote in a since-deleted comment on a video that another athlete had performed a dance better than Rodriguez after two hours of rehearsal. Cosmopolitan reported the wording as: “Seriously how did you do this better than him with 2 hours of rehearsal.”
Did Jackson Olson apologize?
Yes. In an Oct. 6 TikTok, Olson apologized to Rodriguez and others for the negativity caused by his comment and said he took responsibility.
Did Olson and Rodriguez speak after the comment?
Olson told E! News that he visited Rodriguez’s trailer and they spoke for about 30 minutes. Olson said Rodriguez told him it was fine; the account of the exchange comes from Olson.
Why did Olson joke about being canceled?
In an Oct. 11 TikTok caption, Olson grouped the backlash with the Savannah Bananas’ loss in the inaugural Banana Bowl and Slater leaving rehearsal with Bersten. He did not provide further explanation of the joke.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment
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