Dancing with the Stars' Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas confront voting campaigning and online hate on the Call Her Daddy podcast

Dancing with the Stars season 34 alums Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas recently addressed the online backlash they faced during their time on the show, as well as the campaign by fans to prevent them from getting votes. 

In the November 26, 2025, episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Whitney and Mark spoke at length about their reactions to seeing the entire fanbase urging people to vote for every other couple but them, mainly due to Whitney’s reputation stemming from her role in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. 

Whitney admitted that she was branded as the “villain” on the Hulu show, and that opinion carried over to her appearance in Dancing with the Stars. It escalated when season 3 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives aired while DWTS was in the middle of its season, and she admitted she filmed the show for a shot at the dance competition.

It pushed fans further away from Whitney, prompting them to press for her elimination. While commenting on the backlash, Whitney mentioned that she had “desensitized” herself to the hate over the years as a reality TV star. However, she felt guilty for putting Mark through the chaos.

Mark, on the other hand, pointed out that he was surprised by how people influenced votes, adding that the hate comments were “relentless.”

Dancing with the Stars fame Whitney credits Mark for helping her tackle the online backlash

While addressing the online backlash, Mark stated that the presence of “naysayers” was not uncommon. However, the reception Whitney and he received from the viewers on certain weeks was “intense.”

He then addressed the strategy of fans campaigning to prevent them from getting any votes, saying:

“When I would see those comments, I’m like, ‘Oh, you must be new, you can’t vote somebody off. Like, that doesn’t exist … But then as the discourse continued, I did see, like, ‘Oh, that’s the loophole is that they vote for everyone but.’ Honestly, for me it was like an ‘Oh’ moment.”

He added that despite being part of the show for years, the way viewers influenced the votes was “new info” to him. 

When asked whether it affected their performances and their morale, Whitney and Mark implied that it did. However, they relied on each other and pushed through regardless. 

Whitney admitted that Mark helped her when she felt overwhelmed by the online discourse, encouraging her to put herself all in and give her best on the dance floor. 

On days when Mark felt demotivated, she mentioned doing the same for him. 

“Luckily, I feel there was never a day where it was both of us because I think if it was ever at that point, like, that would’ve been really hard,” she said. 

Mark chimed in, speaking about the hate comments, calling those his “tipping point.” He then read a comment aloud for the viewers, in which he was called “worthless” and “cheap” among other things. 

“That’s just one of them. And that’s– They’re relentless, like that, over a dance show,” Mark added. 

The Dancing with the Stars pro clarified that although he stepped out to be on TV, he did not sign up for the hate comments. 

As for Whitney, she stated that the hatred did not affect her that much anymore, claiming she had experienced it for years. 

Regardless, she felt triggered and guilty as Mark experienced such backlash for the first time as her partner. 

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star further denied allegations that labeled her as “opportunistic” and “arrogant,” saying she only chased her dream and nothing more. 

Stay tuned for more updates.