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Dancing With the Stars contestant Jackson Olson apologized after a now-deleted comment mocking Guillermo Rodriguez’s dancing abilities drew criticism. Olson said he spoke with Rodriguez in person and that they had cleared the air; he later joked online about being “canceled” after a separate baseball loss and a rehearsal-partner gag.
Dancing With the Stars contestant Jackson Olson apologized after a deleted comment about fellow contestant Guillermo Rodriguez’s dancing drew criticism, then said the two spoke privately and were “fine.” In a TikTok posted Oct. 11, Olson joked about being “canceled” while sharing other setbacks, returning attention to a controversy he had addressed publicly five days earlier.
The controversy began after Olson commented on a video of another athlete recreating a dance by Rodriguez and his professional 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. The available account does not specify when it was posted or provide details about the response it received beyond describing it as sparking controversy.
On Oct. 6, Olson apologized in a TikTok post. “To G and to all of you, I am truly sorry that my comment I made the other day caused this much unnecessary negativity,” he wrote. “I never meant for it to do that and I take full ownership and I love this guy. Now let’s do what this show is meant to be about: DANCE.”
Olson also told E! News on Oct. 6 that he had gone to Rodriguez’s trailer and spoken with him for about 30 minutes. Olson said he told Rodriguez he had meant nothing by the comment. Recalling Rodriguez’s response, Olson said: “Dude, I know. It’s totally fine.” Olson described the pair as friends throughout the competition. Those statements are Olson’s account of the conversation; Rodriguez’s own public comment about it is not included in the available reporting.
In the Oct. 11 TikTok, Olson filmed his professional partner, Emma Slater, leaving the rehearsal studio with her boyfriend and fellow pro, Alan Bersten, while they mouthed along to “Gotta Go My Own Way” from High School Musical 2. Olson captioned the moment: “When your dance partner has to leave you for her boyfriend.” He added that his Savannah Bananas team had lost the inaugural Banana Bowl championship to the Texas Tailgaters that day, writing: “First I get canceled, then we lose the Banana Bowl and now this?!” The post used the controversy as part of a self-deprecating joke; it did not introduce a new allegation about Rodriguez.
A Public Apology and Private Conversation
The episode matters because it involved contestants on a televised competition whose public interaction can shape how audiences view both the performers and the show. Olson’s deleted remark compared Rodriguez unfavorably with another dancer, and the apology acknowledged that it caused what Olson called “unnecessary negativity.” His account of a face-to-face conversation suggested the two had addressed the issue directly rather than leaving it solely to social media.
At the same time, the available details support a limited conclusion: Olson apologized publicly and said Rodriguez accepted his explanation. They do not establish how Rodriguez privately felt, how other cast members responded, or whether the incident affected the contestants’ working relationship. Olson’s Oct. 11 joke indicates he was willing to refer to the backlash, but it is not evidence on its own that the criticism had ended.
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How the Comment Became a Story
Olson and Rodriguez are both members of the reported season 35 cast of Dancing With the Stars. Olson is a Savannah Bananas baseball player paired with Slater; Rodriguez, known for his work on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is partnered with Carson. The reported comment concerned a recreation of one of Rodriguez and Carson’s dances, making the exchange directly related to the competition rather than an unrelated dispute.
The sequence described in the reporting is brief: Olson’s comment appeared under a dance video and was later deleted; he apologized on Oct. 6 and told E! News that he had spoken with Rodriguez; then, on Oct. 11, he posted a TikTok that referred jokingly to being “canceled.” The available account does not give a fuller timeline of when the original comment was posted or how widely it circulated before the apology.
“I am truly sorry that my comment I made the other day caused this much unnecessary negativity.”
— Jackson Olson, in a TikTok post on Oct. 6
Rodriguez’s Account Is Not Included
The available reporting does not include a direct statement from Rodriguez about the deleted comment, the apology, or the reported conversation. His response is relayed by Olson, so it is not possible from these details to independently assess how Rodriguez characterized the exchange or whether he considered the matter fully resolved.
It is also unclear how many people saw the original comment before it was deleted, what specific criticism Olson received, and whether the discussion had any effect on the show or the contestants’ participation. Olson’s use of “canceled” was part of a joking caption; the account provides no evidence of a formal consequence or disciplinary action.
The Competition Continues
The reported next step is the continuation of the show’s season, with Olson and Slater and Rodriguez and Carson competing as partners. No further response, production action, or change to either partnership is reported. Readers can distinguish the confirmed public steps—Olson’s apology and his account of speaking with Rodriguez—from unresolved questions about Rodriguez’s own view and the wider reaction.
Olson’s Oct. 11 post shifted the focus back to rehearsal and his baseball team’s Banana Bowl result, but it did not provide new details about the conversation. Any further public comments from either contestant or the show would clarify whether the issue remains a subject of discussion.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment
Key Questions
What did Jackson Olson say about Guillermo Rodriguez?
Olson commented on a video of another athlete recreating a dance by Rodriguez and Witney Carson: “Seriously how did you do this better than him with 2 hours of rehearsal.” The comment was later deleted, according to the reporting.
Did Olson apologize?
Yes. In a TikTok post on Oct. 6, Olson apologized for the negativity he said his comment caused and said he took full ownership.
Did the two contestants speak in person?
Olson told E! News that he went to Rodriguez’s trailer and they spoke for about 30 minutes. Olson said Rodriguez told him it was fine, but the available report does not include a separate statement from Rodriguez.
Why did Olson refer to being “canceled” on Oct. 11?
In a TikTok caption, Olson joked about being “canceled,” his team’s reported loss to the Texas Tailgaters in the inaugural Banana Bowl championship, and Slater leaving rehearsal with her boyfriend, Alan Bersten. The post did not report a formal consequence for Olson.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment
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