Carrie Ann Inaba Says Fan Criticism of 'DWTS' Judging Is ‘Part of the Territory’ (Exclusive)

Carrie Ann Inaba was ready for an amazing night at the “Dancing with the Stars” 20th Birthday Party!

Before the show, “Extra” spoke with Carrie Ann, who reflected on how the show is having a resurgence in its 20th year and said she loves how passionate the fans are — even if they disagree sometimes! 

She noted that her judging has always been judged since day one.

Carrie Ann commented, "I have always had feedback, a lot of it, a little bit harsher, maybe than my fellow judges receive… I've just learned that that’s part of the territory.”

“I think that if I’m going to judge, and this is how I’ve made sense of it for myself and how I can deal with it is that if I’m going to judge, I have to expect to be judged,” Inaba stressed.

She mentioned apologizing to Danielle Fishel on last week's show, explaining, “I also wanted to show people, ‘Hey, we can have difference of opinions and we can maybe sometimes make a mistake and this is how you apologize.’”