JokersUpdates.com: Dancing With The Stars - Jan responds to criticism.

Jan Ravnik of Dancing with the Stars has a message: Don’t try to get him to spill any tea on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

He understands why you might be curious, as the Slovenian-born, newly minted pro did just spend more than a year as a dancer for the superstar. And it’s his respect for Swift that makes him roll his eyes when yet another person asks him for the gossip.

“People giving me a paycheck, people who changed my life, I will not talk about them,” he tells me. “I know that everyone wants to get information, but they got the wrong person because I really don’t care and I’m going to make it awkward.”

Ravnik is still getting used to being in the public eye. He prefers being in the background, performing alongside artists like Swift, Mariah Carey, and Paula Abdul on tour. But Eras and now DWTS, on which he is partnered with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck, have thrust him into the spotlight.

He loves the dancing portion, but the online drama, press, and fans’ opinions? Not so much.

“Is it new for me? Yes,” he says of his first season. “Do I have anxiety, still, every day? Absolutely. Do I sleep? No. Am I tired? Yes, I’m dying. Do I enjoy it? I do enjoy it, but it’s a lot and I think the internet [has] so much hate.”

This week, though, fans will have perhaps even more to talk about. During the show’s Halloween episode, Affleck and Ravnik will be performing to Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do,” and if you read it as a clapback to the haters, you wouldn’t be wrong.

According to Ravnik, Affleck had wanted to use a Swift song all along, but he thought it made more sense to wait.

“Haters are going to say, ‘Oh, you guys are using her song to get a vote.’ I was like, ‘Let’s prove ourselves first, and then maybe we can use some of our songs that you like.’ She said, ‘I really want “Look What You Made Me Do.”’ And I said, ‘I think that’s for Halloween.’ If you watch the music video, it’s such a strong song. You can use it now for all the haters, because she’s coming from a show where you love one girl, but you hate another girl.”

Ahead of the performance, Jan Ravnik of Dancing with the Stars chatted with Glamour about his thoughts on the online chatter (and hate) from fans of the show and why he still can’t bring himself to watch The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

Glamour: This is your first year as a pro on DWTS. How are you finding it?

Jan Ravnik: It’s a lot. Let me tell you. I went in with a lot of anxiety. The entire show, if you think about it, 20% is dancing, and then it’s dealing with other stuff, which I didn’t think about before. I am not a fan of reality shows. I am not a fan of being in front of cameras in that way or talking to the press. Nobody told me that after the show, you need to always talk with the press. I was like, “I don’t want to do that,” and they said, “You have to.” That gives me more anxiety than dancing. So it is hard to get used to that. I don’t want to get used to that.

You mentioned you’ve been getting “so much hate” online. Do you feel singled out, or is that just a part of being on the show?

Yes, it’s not just me getting hate. The way that they explained it to me is it’s a lot of different people watching the show. It’s a lot of young people who [feel like] if you are supporting someone, you need to bring the other people down, which I get. It’s a competition. I totally get it. But I don’t know. Sometimes it’s hate for no reason. I’m new, I’m going to take it. But at the end of the day, when you’re tired and you open social media—which you have to these days, it’s a second job to post it to get the votes—and then when you’re scrolling, you’re like, Oh God, I’m not a monster, guys.

Obviously, you were on The Eras Tour, which got a ton of attention, but it sounds like this gig is even a step above that?

Yeah, and I think because of all of the opinions. Let’s say Nancy from Nebraska is going to say something in a video like, “Hey, so I really didn’t like Jan’s choreography. It wasn’t hard enough. I don’t think that he’s good enough.” Somehow this video is going to get so many clicks, and people start discussing it. So people now think because somebody posted that this is it. I’m like, I have a lot of experience guys. I know how to teach.

Also, they are not with us in the room. They don’t know all the breakdowns the celebrities have, how hard it is for them. They’re normal people. They’re coming at nine in the morning after the show back to the studio and learning new dances, new information, and filming heart-to-hearts. It’s a lot, even learning a basic step sometimes takes four or five hours. For us as pros, we are also anxious about how it’s going to look and we are trying to push them, be positive for them.

I think if I was a celebrity I would fail miserably at DWTS.

If I was a celebrity, I would be out right away. Firstly, I would not deal with that. I’d be like, “No, I’m out.”

DWTS has always been huge, but it’s become popular among a younger crowd recently. Were you surprised by the demographics who watch?

I mean it is huge. Even when they asked me to be on it, I didn’t know if I wanted it at first. It’s an incredible job, but I didn’t know if I was capable of being in front of the camera in that way. But even when I said to my friends, they’re like, “Oh, you’re fine. It’s Dancing with the Stars, grandmas watch that. They’re going to love you.” Or my mom was like, “Oh, is that for old people?” I was like, “Yeah, I think so.” But in a good way. But now because there are influencers in it, it’s all kids. I even saw TikToks where they’re in dorm rooms together and they’re scoring. It’s like the entire game. It’s crazy.

How does the pace of DWTS compare to your last gig?

Physically, I don’t think I’m as drained. The other jobs I did in my life, touring with Taylor, touring with Paula Abdul, Mariah Carey, all those people, I think that I work more with my body. It was harder on my body. A world tour was a lot. It was the best time of my life, of course, but it was a lot. But here, I think it’s more mentally draining. It’s not so much for the body. We are not doing that much. Let’s be honest. Being in a position in a frame for one minute to show the foxtrot, we are fine. It’s about everything else.

You mentioned people are always asking you for gossip from Eras. What’s your philosophy on keeping things private?

How are artists going to feel safe with us? They want to have people around them who they can trust, who can be themselves. When I’m with the artist, whoever it’s going to be, this is their free time to be with us. Rehearsals should be focused on the steps of a performance.

Right, and I’m sure those who do try to flex don’t last long.

No. What’s wrong with you? Fire those people. Those don’t belong in the industry. Those people are influencers. They belong on TikTok and everywhere else. Drama.

Speaking of drama, have you watched The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives yet?

I started but I was like, “Nah, I’m not watching that.” I love both Jen and Whitney [Leavitt, Affleck’s costar and fellow DWTS contestant this season], and I don’t want to watch and see them in a different way. They’re both so sweet.

Jen’s arc on the show makes “Look What You Made Me Do” pretty fitting, in my opinion, as she’s faced a fair amount of conflict and judgment on her show. But since you said so have you, maybe this can be cathartic for you both.

Yeah, but in this story [in the dance], I’m a hater. So the choreography doesn’t end well for me.

Well, we are all excited to see the dance. Don’t let the haters get you down, or as someone once said, “The haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.”

Haters gonna hate.