Witney Carson Faces Backlash Over Text Message Regarding Dylan Efron, Brother of Zac Efron on ‘DWTS’
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Witney Carson, a professional dancer known for her appearances on ‘Dancing with the Stars’, recently found herself at the receiving end of criticism from fans over a controversial text message exchange. The incident revolved around a conversation Carson had with her husband, Carson McAllister, discussing her fellow ‘DWTS’ competitor, Dylan Efron, and his brother, Zac Efron.
According to screenshots shared online of the now-deleted social media post featuring the text messages, McAllister messaged Carson saying, “Zac Efron is here,” to which she replied with, “I saw! They are trying to get votes.” Fans quickly called out Carson and McAllister for their comments, with some expressing their disapproval of the situation.
One online commenter wrote, “I love Witney but that’s a littleeeee crazy,” suggesting that Zac Efron had avoided attending Dylan’s performances to prevent any assumptions that his presence influenced the voting process. Another individual mentioned, “You text those things to your hubby to get it out … you don’t then post said texts to your social media page 🤦♀️.”
Despite the backlash, some fans came to the defence of Carson and McAllister, with one person stating, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this and was not said in a shady way lol.” They argued that leveraging connections for votes was a common practice among celebrity contestants on the show.
Several fans pointed out the irony of the situation, highlighting Carson’s own connection to her ‘DWTS’ partner, Robert Irwin, whose family members have also been involved with the show. Nevertheless, representatives for Carson, Dylan, and Zac declined to provide any comments on the matter.
Carson and Irwin emerged as the victors of season 34 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’, with Dylan securing the fourth position alongside his partner, Daniella Karagach. The competition also saw Alix Earle in second place and Jordan Chiles in third.
In a post-competition interview, Dylan shared his thoughts on the experience, expressing, “I think I did something I never thought I would or could, and I think that’s what I’m feeling is I easily could have gone my whole life without ever experiencing this, and I’m so happy I did.”
Carson also reflected on her journey with Robert, stating, “I feel like I’ve been so proud of you week to week, and just to see you shine has been one of the biggest highlights in my life, and I just am so, so proud of you.”
As ‘Dancing with the Stars’ gears up for its return in 2026, the fallout from Carson’s text exchange serves as a reminder of the scrutiny and pressures faced by contestants in the high-stakes world of competitive dancing.