Julianne Hough defends viral video that worried fans

A long-standing “Dancing with the Stars” family member recently addressed a video of hers that went viral a few years ago. Co-host and former Mirrorball winner Julianne Hough spoke about the strong reactions to the video while doing the August 20 episode of Kaitlyn Bristowe's “Off the Vine” podcast.

Julianne Hough believes that people understand “energy work” better today

During her appearance on Bristowe's podcast, Hough talked about her new book, Everything We Never Knew: A Novel, which was released on August 13.

She didn't want to give away too much about the plot of the book. However, Hough hinted that the main character gets into a situation in which he has supernatural experiences.

Hough explained that these experiences led the character to work on her own healing. She added, “I have to say, I had some of these supernatural experiences and a lot of people said, oh, she's lost it.”

She shared an example. “I did this energy work session and it went viral… People were like, 'There are demons and an exorcist coming out of her asshole,' or something like that.”

The author and dancer noted that the video went viral almost five years ago.

According to Page Six, the video Hough was referring to was filmed in Davos, Switzerland, at the 2020 World Economic Forum. During the session, she worked with Dr. John Amaral.

In January 2020, Page Six reported that when describing his treatment, Amaral stated, “There is always a tremendous loss of energy and a feeling of relief, relaxation and freedom.”

He added: “When the system moves, there can be an expression of emotions.”

The video sparked many surprised and critical reactions from viewers. Hough writhed and screamed during the session, which many viewers found odd.

“What is happening here? Mild concern and major curiosity,” someone noted in an Instagram post sharing a video of the session.

Someone else asked: “Are you kidding me?!?”

“This is really very weird,” added another Instagram user.

During Bristowe's podcast, Hough said the kind of experience she had in the energy work session was now “so much more accessible.”

“People understand what's happening, and energy is everything. Energy is literally everything,” Hough noted during Bristowe's podcast.

The DWTS star praised Gwyneth Paltrow as a pioneer with this work

Hough mentioned that the energy work session she experienced was similar to things actress Gwyneth Paltrow has sometimes said.

The “Dancing with the Stars” co-host said, “I'm so grateful to her because she probably took more criticism from everyone else because she was a pioneer.”

She added: “And when you pioneer something and have the courage and the guts to make it public, you're bound to face pushback. That's why I have the utmost respect for her.”

Fans of “Dancing with the Stars” remember the video Hough was referring to, which was criticized by many people at the time.

Did people's opinions change after hearing what Hough said during Bristowe's podcast? It seems that the reaction to Hough's opinion on the video was varied.

“She has [too] “I spent a lot of money and got weird,” said one critic on Instagram.

“They screamed for attention and headlines,” said another critic.

One podcast listener shared: “My favorite podcast [episode] from you so far.”

Stacy Carey has been a freelance writer for over a decade, focusing on reality TV and celebrity news. She is a key contributor to The Bachelor, Hallmark, and Dancing With the Stars. More about Stacy Carey