Eliminated DWTS Contestant Tyler Cameron Faces Backlash for Reposting a Video Mocking Harry Shum Jr., Who Had Just Shared His Chinese Immigrant Family's Story
Tyler Cameron, an already-eliminated contestant on Dancing With the Stars, is facing backlash from fans after reposting a TikTok video that mocked Chinese-American actor Harry Shum Jr.'s emotional moment on the show. According to Parade, by November 13 the repost was no longer visible on Cameron's TikTok, and neither Cameron nor Shum has publicly addressed the backlash.
The moment came on the show's Grammy Night episode on Tuesday, November 10. Shum, 44, and his professional partner Jenna Johnson performed a salsa to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' "Die With a Smile," earning a near-perfect 29 out of 30.
In the pair's pre-dance package, Shum became emotional talking about his upbringing. He was born in Limon, Costa Rica, to Chinese immigrant parents, and the family moved to San Francisco, California, when he was six. He said people around him danced salsa, merengue and bachata while he was always an observer, and that he was excited to tap into his roots. He explained that he had avoided salsa because he associated it with the struggles his family went through moving from Costa Rica to America, and during rehearsals he asked for a short break after being overwhelmed with emotion.
Hours after the episode, a fan account posted a TikTok mocking his tears, pairing a clip of American Horror Story star Jessica Lange crying with the caption, "Harry Shum jr when the chipotle worker asks if he wants salsa on his burrito bowl." Fans soon noticed that Cameron, 33, the runner-up on Season 15 of The Bachelorette, who was eliminated earlier this season with partner Sharna Burgess, had reposted the video.
Many viewers were unhappy. One Reddit user called the repost distasteful. One TikTok commenter called it disrespectful to poke fun at Harry's immigration story, noting that Shum had always been kind to Cameron. Other fans rushed to defend Shum, with one writing that Harry has always been emotional and passionate, especially about dancing, and that he feels through dance rather than performing for the cameras.
The timing drew extra attention because, after Tuesday's episode, Cameron had posted a TikTok addressing negativity aimed at the remaining contestants, saying, "You don't have to push someone else down to bring someone up." According to Parade and EntertainmentNow, the repost was no longer visible on Cameron's TikTok by Thursday morning, and as of the November 13 reports, neither man had publicly addressed the backlash.
Related: DWTS Pro Jenna Johnson Breaks Nose in Rehearsal, Still Set to Dance on Grammy Night
Source: Parade
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 资料图：华裔演员Harry Shum Jr.（岑勇康）早年出席公开活动（Gage Skidmore摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经Wikimedia Commons），版面图为等比适配加模糊底衬1600×900，人物完整，非本次节目画面。/ File photo: Chinese-American actor Harry Shum Jr. at a public event (photo by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons), adapted to 1600x900 with a blurred background fill and the figure kept whole; not an image from the show in this story.
