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Dancing With the Stars contestant Jackson Olson apologized after a deleted comment criticized Guillermo Rodriguez’s dancing. Olson said he spoke with Rodriguez in person and that they were fine; a later TikTok joked about his team’s loss and his dance partner leaving rehearsal with her boyfriend.
Jackson Olson apologized after a now-deleted comment about fellow Dancing With the Stars contestant Guillermo Rodriguez’s dancing drew criticism, and said the two had spoken privately and cleared the air. The Savannah Bananas player later joked about the backlash in an Oct. 11 TikTok, framing it alongside his team’s loss in the Banana Bowl and his dance partner Emma Slater leaving rehearsal with her boyfriend, fellow pro Alan Bersten.
The controversy began after Olson commented on a video of another athlete recreating a dance performed by Rodriguez and his partner, Witney Carson. According to Cosmopolitan, Olson wrote: “Seriously how did you do this better than him with 2 hours of rehearsal.” The comment was later deleted. The available account does not establish when the comment was posted or provide further detail about the video.
On Oct. 6, Olson apologized in a TikTok post, addressing Rodriguez and the people who had reacted to the remark. He said he had not intended to cause “unnecessary negativity,” accepted responsibility for the comment, and expressed affection for Rodriguez. Olson also said they had been friends throughout the show and had spoken face to face.
Olson told E! News on Oct. 6 that he went to Rodriguez’s trailer and they talked for about 30 minutes. He recalled telling Rodriguez that he had meant nothing by the comment. Olson said Rodriguez responded that he understood and that it was “totally fine.” These are Olson’s accounts of the private conversation; no separate statement from Rodriguez appears in the supplied reporting.
DWTS • Off-stage update
What Happened Between Jackson Olson and Guillermo Rodriguez?
A deleted comment about Rodriguez’s dancing drew criticism. Olson apologized, said the two spoke privately, then later joked about the backlash in a TikTok.
How the story unfolded
The public timeline is clear; details of the private conversation come from Olson’s account.
A comment circulates
Olson commented on a video recreating a dance by Rodriguez and Witney Carson. The comment was later deleted.
Olson apologizes
On Oct. 6, he said he regretted causing negativity, took responsibility, and expressed affection for Rodriguez.
A private talk
Olson told E! News that he visited Rodriguez’s trailer and they spoke for about 30 minutes.
A later joke
On Oct. 11, Olson joked about being “canceled” alongside other setbacks in a rehearsal TikTok.
What sparked the criticism?
The remark compared an athlete’s recreation of a dance with Rodriguez’s performance on the show.
The deleted comment
“Seriously how did you do this better than him with 2 hours of rehearsal.”
Cosmopolitan reported the wording. The available account does not establish when Olson posted the comment or give further detail about the video.
The apology
Responsibility, regret, and affection
Olson said he had not meant to cause “unnecessary negativity,” accepted ownership of the comment, and said he loved Rodriguez. He also said they had been friends throughout the show.
Olson’s words, in context
These quotes are from Olson’s public apology and his later account of the conversation.
“To G and to all of you, I am truly sorry that my comment I made the other day caused this much unnecessary negativity. I never meant for it to do that and I take full ownership and I love this guy.”
Jackson Olson • Oct. 6 TikTok apology
The Oct. 11 TikTok
Olson folded the earlier backlash into a self-deprecating list of setbacks.
At rehearsal
Emma Slater leaves with Alan Bersten
The clip showed Olson’s dance partner, professional dancer Emma Slater, leaving rehearsal with her boyfriend and fellow pro Alan Bersten. The pair mouthed along to “Gotta Go My Own Way” from High School Musical 2.
The Banana Bowl
A second setback in the caption
Olson also referenced the Savannah Bananas’ Oct. 11 loss to the Texas Tailgaters in the inaugural Banana Bowl championship. The supplied reporting does not present the TikTok as another apology or connect the rehearsal scene to the original disagreement.
What is—and isn’t—confirmed
Keeping public posts separate from a private exchange helps clarify what the reporting establishes.
Publicly reported
The apology and later video
Olson posted an apology on Oct. 6, described a conversation with Rodriguez to E! News, and shared a joking TikTok on Oct. 11.
Not independently confirmed here
Rodriguez’s own account
The supplied reporting contains no separate public statement from Rodriguez. Olson’s description is the available account of their private conversation.
Key questions
A quick guide to the main points in the report.
What did Olson say about Rodriguez?
According to Cosmopolitan, he wrote that another athlete performed a recreated dance better than Rodriguez despite having only two hours of rehearsal.
Did Olson apologize?
Yes. On Oct. 6, he apologized for the negativity, took responsibility, and said he cared about Rodriguez.
Did they resolve the disagreement?
Olson said they spoke for about 30 minutes and recalled Rodriguez telling him it was fine. No separate account from Rodriguez appears in the supplied reporting.
Why mention being “canceled” later?
Olson used the phrase jokingly in an Oct. 11 TikTok caption alongside the Banana Bowl loss and Slater leaving rehearsal with Bersten.
The Apology and Its Aftermath
The exchange drew attention because the remark concerned a fellow contestant’s performance on a show built around public dance routines and weekly comparisons. Olson’s apology addressed the criticism directly, while his account of their conversation suggested the disagreement had not ended their relationship. The distinction matters: the public can verify Olson’s apology and his description of the meeting, but the private exchange is known here through Olson’s recollection.
His Oct. 11 video returned to the episode indirectly, with Olson joking that he had “got canceled” before listing two other setbacks. The wording presents the backlash as part of a self-deprecating joke, not as evidence of any formal action against him. The report does not describe a disciplinary response by the show or a change to either contestant’s status.
For viewers, the incident is a brief off-stage development involving two members of the cast rather than a change to the competition itself. The public apology and reported conversation provide an update on the dispute, but do not establish how Rodriguez would describe the exchange or how viewers’ reactions evolved.
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How the Comment Became a Story
Olson and Rodriguez are both part of the reported Dancing With the Stars season 35 cast. Olson is a Savannah Bananas baseball player paired with professional dancer Emma Slater; Rodriguez, known for his work on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is partnered with Witney Carson. Their different backgrounds brought them together as fellow competitors, but the comment concerned a dance recreation posted online, not a performance result from the show.
After the remark circulated, it was deleted. Olson then posted his apology on Oct. 6 and told E! News he had visited Rodriguez’s trailer to talk. Five days later, Olson shared a separate TikTok from the rehearsal studio. The clip showed Slater leaving with Bersten while the pair mouthed along to “Gotta Go My Own Way” from High School Musical 2. Olson captioned it, “When your dance partner has to leave you for her boyfriend.”
In the same post’s caption, Olson also referred to the Savannah Bananas’ Oct. 11 loss to the Texas Tailgaters in the inaugural Banana Bowl championship, writing: “First I get canceled, then we lose the Banana Bowl and now this?!” The supplied reporting gives that game result and the video’s wording but does not say the TikTok was an additional apology or provide evidence that the rehearsal scene was connected to the earlier disagreement.
““To G and to all of you, I am truly sorry that my comment I made the other day caused this much unnecessary negativity. I never meant for it to do that and I take full ownership and I love this guy.””
— Jackson Olson, in an Oct. 6 TikTok apology
What Rodriguez Has Said Publicly
The account provided does not include a direct public statement from Rodriguez about the deleted comment, Olson’s apology, or their reported conversation. The claim that the two were fine comes from Olson’s description of the meeting, and the private discussion cannot be independently assessed from the details available here.
It is also unclear how widely the original comment circulated before it was deleted, what response it drew from the show’s producers, or whether either contestant addressed it again after Oct. 11. No formal consequence, change to the cast, or effect on the competition is reported.
The Contest Continues On Air
The immediate reported developments are Olson’s apology, his account that he and Rodriguez spoke, and the Oct. 11 TikTok. The supplied reporting does not identify a scheduled follow-up statement or any official review of the incident. Both men are listed among the season 35 contestants, so any further update would depend on what they, the show, or their representatives say publicly.
For now, readers should distinguish the confirmed public posts from Olson’s account of a private conversation. The available information indicates the pair discussed the remark, but does not show whether Rodriguez plans to comment independently or whether the issue will resurface during the program.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment
Key Questions
What did Jackson Olson say about Guillermo Rodriguez?
According to Cosmopolitan, Olson wrote in a now-deleted comment that another athlete performed a dance better than Rodriguez despite having only two hours of rehearsal. The comment referred to a video recreating a dance by Rodriguez and partner Witney Carson.
Did Jackson Olson apologize?
Yes. Olson posted an apology on TikTok on Oct. 6, saying he was sorry the comment caused negativity, that he took responsibility, and that he cared about Rodriguez.
Did Olson and Rodriguez resolve the disagreement?
Olson said he visited Rodriguez’s trailer and talked with him for about 30 minutes. Olson recalled Rodriguez telling him it was fine. The reporting does not include a separate public account from Rodriguez.
Why did Olson mention being “canceled” in a later TikTok?
In an Oct. 11 post, Olson joked about the criticism alongside the Savannah Bananas’ loss to the Texas Tailgaters in the inaugural Banana Bowl championship and Slater leaving rehearsal with Bersten. The post was framed as humor.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment
