Dancing With The Stars Showrunner Defends Anna Delvey's Controversial Casting: 'She Served Her Time'

Dancing with the Stars showrunner Conrad Green is standing by his decision to cast Anna Delvey on season 33.

Delvey made headlines when it was revealed on Good Morning America on Sept. 4 that she would be competing for the mirrorball trophy alongside 12 other contestants.

"We’ve always tried to be a very broad church when it comes to the types of people, the types of backgrounds, the types of stories we have on the show," Green told Variety. "Anna is fascinating to a lot of people, a lot of people have watched the dramas about her life and have followed her story, so I think there is an inherent curiosity about her."

Noting how the convicted con artist, 33, is familiar with the "world of fashion," he added that he believes fans will "really want to see her" hit the dance floor.

"She’s a very valid and interesting part of that cast," Green explained. "Yes, she had the issues she’s had, but we’ve had other people on the show who’ve had criminal issues in the past. She served her time."

"I think it’s perfectly valid for her to be on the show, and I think people have been really curious to see how she performs," he added.

Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorkin, gained notoriety for posing as a wealthy German heiress and used her social standing to defraud wealthy people, banks and hotels. She was arrested in 2017 and convicted of grand larceny in the first, second and third degree as well as theft of services in 2019.

Her sentence included four to 12 years in prison, which was cut short when she was released in February 2021 for good behavior. Shortly after her release, Delvey was taken into custody by ICE for violating the terms of her visa. She has been living under house arrest in New York City while fighting her deportation case.

While speaking to PEOPLE moments after her DWTS casting dropped, Delvey revealed that she received special permission from ICE to compete under the condition she would continue wearing her ankle bracelet.

Soon after, the news went viral and fans and commentators alike criticized DWTS' decision to include a convicted felon in their roster of competitors.

On the Sept 5. episode of The View, moderator Whoopi Goldberg didn't hold back on her thoughts and slammed the network's casting call.

"I think back to all the families who’ve had family members arrested by ICE, who have gone to the courts to get their dad or their mother or their brother back," she said. "And this woman, they gave her permission to go do this. Now, should I think there’s a reason. Is there a two-tiered system here with ICE?"

While her cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin pointed out, "I’m here for a redemption arc, and not a rehabilitation arc: somebody who has owned and taken responsibility for what they did wrong. I’m not convinced this person has. Con artists tend to remain con artists."

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Dancing with the Stars season 33 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with the episode available to stream the next day on Hulu.