‘DWTS’ Judge Carrie Ann Inaba Reveals the Book That Helps Her Handle Online Hate (Exclusive)
The ‘Dancing with the Stars’ judge opens up about online criticism, Len Goodman and her go-to reads
Key Takeaways
- Carrie Ann Inaba reads ‘The Four Agreements’ before every ‘Dancing with the Stars' taping.
- Inaba's all-time favorite book is ‘The Untethered Soul’ by Michael Singer.
- Inaba pays tribute to late DWTS judge Len Goodman, whom she called her buddy.
Most people know Carrie Ann Inaba as the only female judge on Dancing with the Stars, but what they might not realize is that she’s an avid reader who relies on one special book to help her navigate the online hate and criticism that comes her way. To discover what that book is, keep scrolling.
Carrie Ann Inaba reveals her favorite book
Inaba was diagnosed with Sjögren’s disease in 2013 and, according to her, sometimes her disease can get so bad that she “can’t read because the brain fog is so bad.”
“It’s actually harder for me to read,” she explains to Woman’s World during a conversation dedicated to her partnership with Novartis. “But lately, now with the way social media has changed, it’s too much and it’s too fast, and it feels like I’m outside running a race when I’m looking at social media, so I’ve been reading a lot.”
As for what she’s been reading, Inaba says that she has a few go-tos, but her two all time favorites are “Watership Down by Richard Adams. It’s a wonderful one. My second favorite is The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. It’s a good one. My copy is so beat and battered, because whenever I’m going through a hard time, I’m, like ‘Time to bust out The Untethered Soul.’”
Carrie Ann Inaba shares what book helped her get through the online hate
As a judge on Dancing with the Stars, Inaba has received a lot of hate online for her comments. Some people think she’s too blunt and mean while others feel that she’s just not happy enough. Inaba is aware of this, but says that she does her best to just tune out the noise and do her job.
“I used to read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz every time before I stepped out on stage. It’s really important to be honest with myself with the world and have integrity with my words, and so that has made it easier to read the comments,” she says. “I also think that because I’m giving my opinion, I believe I have to be open to other people’s opinion, because it’s all subjective, right? And I think that that’s okay.”
“This was the easiest year, and it’s because I felt less alone; everybody was getting negative comments, not just me. Whereas in the past it was only me, and oftentimes I do think that’s because I’m a woman. I do think that it’s because I’m not talking necessarily just about the steps—I’m talking sometimes about more ambiguous things, but I do talk from experience,” she continues. “I do know what I’m saying, and I have a lot of confidence in what I’m saying. Everything I say is designed to try to help the person who’s dancing and pouring their heart and soul into this dance in front of me. It’s not always easy. I like honest, brutal truth, so that’s what I give.”
Speaking of honest and brutal truth, Inaba had to take the time to mention the toughest judge of all, Len Goodman, who tragically passed away in 2023.
“He was my buddy, I miss him so much,” Inaba says. “What I loved about Len is, we would go at it sometimes, but there was always a mutual respect. Sometimes I’d win an argument, sometimes he’d win an argument, but we’d always high five in between, because it’s okay to have different opinions.”
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