Charity Lawson Sets the Record Straight on Attitude Problem Claims, Refocuses on Dancing With the Stars

Charity Lawson finally explained those super-readable faces she made on Dancing With the Stars — and no, it was not an ego thing. On a fresh podcast chat, she broke down why the cameras kept catching her looking intense, how the fan narrative spun out, and what it actually felt like to grind through Season 32.

The score-face situation, decoded

On Wednesday, April 15, Charity, 30, hopped on the 'What's the Reality?' podcast and laid out how the whole 'she only cares about scores' storyline happened. During the season, producers would ask contestants about their numbers for the week, so she answered honestly — if she pulled a 7, she said she wanted a 9 next time. Pretty normal competitor talk.

But then viewers saw those clips packaged the next week and decided she was fixated on the scoreboard. The comments rolled in painting her as 'cocky' and 'conceited.' Meanwhile, she says what you were seeing on her face when the scores came in from Julianne Hough was not attitude — it was nerves, stress, and straight-up anxiety. And the read changed depending on the frame: if she kept a serious face, people said she had an attitude problem; if she smiled, people said she thought she was better than everyone.

'You are damned if you do and you are damned if you do not.'

That double bind got to her. She said she had never felt so stuck between two clashing narratives and genuinely did not know how to navigate it in the moment.

Fun show, brutal grind

Charity was all-in excited to join DWTS — and then the schedule swallowed her whole. She said the training was way more intense than she expected, and it became one of the hardest things she has ever done physically, mentally, and emotionally. Show days were a blast, but, as she put it, it is still television: there has to be a story, which can shape how things come across. Bottom line, the competition took over her life while she was in it.

Quick hits

• Season: DWTS Season 32 (2023)
• Partner: Artem Chigvintsev, 43
• Finish: Fourth place overall
• Podcast: 'What's the Reality?' episode released Wednesday, April 15
• Judges moment called out: getting her scores read onstage by Julianne Hough
• Context from the season: she also flagged confusion around the feedback she got on Monster Night

After the ballroom

Post-season, she summed it up on Instagram as an experience like no other — and, yes, the hardest thing she has ever done. She thanked herself for taking the leap, said she discovered a lot about who she is, and felt proud that she kept rising to the occasion every week despite the hurdles. She also gave Artem a big shoutout for pushing her from day one and seeing her potential, calling him the best teacher and dancer to go through finals with.