Alyssa Farah Griffin and Anna DelveyGetty Images
UPDATED with attorney statement: An attorney for Anna Delvey says the Dancing with the Stars contestant is “thankful” that The View “corrected their false and defamatory statements” and accepts the “apology.”
Whether the daytime talk show actually apologized is open to interpretation.
“We are thankful that The View has corrected their false and defamatory statements about Ms. Delvey,” said attorney Duncan Levin in a statement provided to Deadline following today’s View episode. “Like so many others, Anna has made mistakes and, most importantly, she has made amends by serving both time in prison and repaying all her debts in full. Anna deserves a second chance and accepts The View’s apology.”
On today’s episode, View co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin updated a September 5 discussion in which she and some of her cohosts called out Delvey’s casting on the dancing competition, suggesting that Delvey — fka Anna Sorokin and subject of the Netflix docuseries Inventing Anna — still owed restitution to some of her victims.
In a brief segment near the end of today’s episode, Griffin, appearing solo, read a statement directly into the camera.
“We recently discussed Anna Delvey, the convicted fraudster, noting she will be on Dancing with the Stars and questioning the fairness of her being on the show as it is an opportunity that most other convicted criminals and immigrants seeking asylum simply do not have.
“After that discussion, we heard from Miss Delvey’s lawyer who strongly objected to our saying that, quote, she still owes people money. He argued that statement falsely suggests she still owes restitution to her fraud victims. And he provided a document from the Office of Victim Services that he says proves, quote, all of Miss Delvey’s restitution has been repaid in full and all the victims have been fully compensated, end quote.
“We are all looking forward to the new season of Dancing with the Stars premiering tomorrow night right here on ABC.”
On the September 5 episode of The View, hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin and Griffin took issue with the convicted con artist’s participation on the upcoming season of the ABC dance competition, saying, among other things, that Delvey still owes money to some of the people and institutions she defrauded.
During that episode, The View aired a brief clip of Delvey and her pro dance partner Ezra Sosa joshing about bejeweling the ankle monitor that Delvey is required to wear, though she has said that she has permission from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, to appear on DWTS. After that, Goldberg said: “I think back to all the families who’ve had family members arrested by ICE, who have gone to the courts to get their dad or their brother or their mother back, and this woman, they gave her permission to go do this? … Is there a two-tiered system with ICE?”
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Delvey was convicted in 2019 by a New York state court of larceny and other crimes after she pretended to be a German heiress and swindled thousands of dollars from various people and establishments. After serving two years in prison, she was released on parole only to be taken into custody by ICE for overstaying her visa. She appealed, and last year she was ordered to wear an ankle monitor while in home confinement at her Manhattan apartment.
Said Hostin during that discussion, “If you think about it, she defrauded so many people, and then spent about two years in prison and then had to spend another 18 months in prison for overstaying her welcome, overstaying her visa. So she committed another crime, and what is the consequence of it? A bejeweled ankle monitor and a spot on a television show.”
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Hostin likened Delvey’s DWTS casting to Gypsy-Rose Blanchard becoming a reality TV star following her release from prison on second-degree murder charges in the death of her mother Dee Dee Blanchard.
Griffin took issue with the comparison.
“I’m here for a redemption arc, not a rehabilitation arc,” Griffin said, saying that Blanchard, like Martha Stewart before her, took responsibility before returning to the public eye. “Gypsy-Rose did the time,” she said, adding that Delvey “still owes people money.”
“Con artists tend to remain con artists,” Griffin said, advising DWTS castmates “be wary.”
Shortly after the September 5 episode aired, Delvey posted a message on X demanding a correction. “While you are entitled to your own opinions,” Delvey wrote, “you should at least get your facts straight. I served my time and paid everyone back in full 3+ years ago. Looking forward to your on-air correction.”
In a statement to the New York Post at the time, Delvey amended that message by adding, “Stay nasty ladies…”
