Celebs Who Can't Stand Julianne Hough

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Multidiscipline performer Julianne Hough has gone through quite the transformation to become known for her ballroom skills, as well as pushing boundaries off the dance floor. The "Dancing With the Stars" alum and co-host has never really shied away from starting controversy by speaking her mind. However, this has also gotten Hough in trouble with fellow celebrities, who have taken her words personally from time to time.

As talented as Hough is, the feuds she's started with other dancers and stars could be perceived as holding her back from how far her fame could or should go. Often known as being the critical judge on DWTS, what Hough could perceive as a casual nitpick is another person's devastating news. It's hard to balance how far is too far when giving criticism, and Hough is no exception. Over the years, Hough hasn't been able to fully avoid scrutiny from her famous peers, leading to a list of celebs who simply can't stand her.

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In 2013, Julianne Hough made an appearance on "Dancing With the Stars" as a guest judge, and she used the opportunity to pick on fellow dance professional and former friend Mark Ballas. Performing the foxtrot with his partner, singer Christina Milian, Ballas appeared to take Hough's harsh words on the chin, but was still ultimately surprised by them. Per Us Weekly, Hough said of Ballas' performance, "I've danced with Mark. You have to stand in front to make sure you're seen."

After the show, Ballas said of the critique, "The one comment for me that was a little funny is that I make it all about me ... all the critiques were at me." The professional dancer went on to elaborate, "I was the one who kind of got the heat, but you know what, that's OK! It's fine." Even though he tried to keep it classy and light in front of the camera, both Hough's words and Ballas' response stirred up rumors that the two, who competed together as children and medaled at the Junior Olympics, were in the middle of a beef. One source told Us Weekly Ballas was visibly incensed when he left the ballroom — so much so that it had the other pros gossiping about his displeased demeanor. 

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When Julianne Hough was a judge for Season 23 of "Dancing With the Stars," she certainly had a lot to say about contestant Amber Rose. Comments Hough made about Rose led to the start of a feud between the two. According to People, the critique Hough had to give Rose after dancing to the song "Booty" was a little too pointed at, well, Rose's booty. There was a specific dance move where Rose had to lift her leg up as her professional dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy dipped her. During the move, Hough could be heard saying how "uncomfortable" she was by seeing that much of Rose. The model did not take kindly to what she perceived as being body-shamed.

In an episode of her podcast "Loveline With Amber Rose," Rose divulged how upset she was by the comment. "You know, all the beautiful professional dancers that are on 'Dancing With the Stars,' I mean they dress very sexy and they do the splits and they grind up on these guys, and they look absolutely stunning and get a standing ovation," she said. "And me and my body ... made her uncomfortable." Hough tried to backpedal, telling E! News the sound clip could have come from any part of the night and was more so an indication that she wanted to see a better performance from the two. But knowing how Rose can hold a grudge, it's doubtful that tactic worked.

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When Julianne Hough appeared on a 2024 episode of "Watch What Happens Live" alongside Mickey Guyton and host Andy Cohen, she stirred up some old wounds for previous "Dancing With the Stars" champ Bobby Bones. When asked who she thought the worst dancer to ever appear on the show was, Hough initially tried to deflect the question, stating, "Oh! I think she has an answer for that," referring to Guyton, who had mumbled, "Bobby Bones." As shady as it was of Hough to throw Guyton under the bus, Hough also immediately agreed with the music star. For his part, Bones is incredibly proud of his winning yet disastrous performance.

Taking to Instagram to post a video, Bones did his best to be as diplomatic as possible, often stating he had no beef with Hough. But, he still went out of his way to reaffirm that he is proud of his championship performance and proud to still not know how to dance. He even captioned his post, "Signed, Dance Champ." As much as he may want to state he takes no issue with Hough, it's clear the entire thing rankled Bones just a bit. And it's not like Hough came to defend his honor.

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When Julianne Hough made the move from "Dancing With the Stars" dance pro to judge, it came at an awkward time for the competition. For Season 19, Hough would be a judge against a familiar face — her own brother Derek Hough. This pairing ended up rubbing ballroom star and DWTS professional dancer, Karina Smirnoff, the wrong way. Ahead of the season premiere, Smirnoff — who was ultimately eliminated early in the competition — took to Us Weekly to bemoan what she saw as bias from Julianne toward her brother.

"I think that [Julianne] is wonderful, gorgeous, and talented, but I don't know if it's ethical that she is judging while her brother is competing ... I may be the most fair person in the world, but if my mom is dancing and she trips, I would be like, 'Well, I didn't see that ...'" Smirnoff said at the time. However, Smirnoff's concerns may have been unwarranted, as Julianne was possibly keeping a tragic secret: that she and her brother were constantly feuding.

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When Julianne Hough got the gig to host "Dancing With the Stars," there were rumors that her brother Derek Hough had caught a case of the jealousies. A source close to the siblings told Life & Style, "It's always been highly competitive between those two. When one of their careers is going better than the other ... jealousies arise, and there's been bad blood between them in the past." Outside of the constant sibling rivalry, it seems Julianne was annoyed that her brother decided to continue a friendship with her ex-husband Brooks Laich. However, in a heartbreaking detail of Derek's personal life, a close call with his wife Hayley Erbert may have brought the family back together.

When Erbert had to undergo an emergency surgery on her skull, Julianne took the opportunity to start over with her brother. "Something happens and it just is like a clean slate. Especially with what just happened with Derek and Hayley ... Whatever little things of competition there are or whatever it might be, those things just go away," she told People. Luckily, Erbert, who is also a professional dancer, is well on the road to recovery and was already back performing within a few short months of her surgery. Hopefully, the new start for the Hough siblings will stick this time.