Pop culture reaches a new low as Anna Delvey joins ‘DWTS’
Does Anna Delvey have the gall to take on dancing?
We’ll soon find out as the con woman, who spent almost four years in prison for pretending to be a German heiress and scamming hotels, socialites, and banks out of $250,000, competes for the Mirrorball Trophy.
It was announced on Wednesday that she will be joining the new season of “Dancing with the Stars”, alongside retired NFL receiver Danny Amendola, Olympians Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik, as well as a few reality stars trying to stay in the spotlight.
ABC’s press release described Delvey as “an artist, fashion icon, and infamous NYC socialite who gained international attention after Netflix developed her story into the 2022 miniseries ‘Inventing Anna,'” while the show’s Wikipedia page referred to her as a “convicted fraudster.”
The official announcement featured Delvey, also known as Anna Sorokin, in a glamorous outfit that highlighted her ankle bracelet.
That’s her signature move. The wink, the nod. Still a rebel — now on house arrest with her “home” range expanded by nearly 3,000 miles.
Delvey has turned her criminal notoriety into a downtown It girl persona, with fashion ties and favorable media coverage.
Under house arrest since 2022 and possibly facing deportation, Delvey, who was born in Russia, has hosted dinner parties, sold artwork, and started a podcast. She is set to walk in the SHAO runway during New York Fashion Week next week.
She is the resident “deception analyst” on USA’s show “The Anonymous,” a reality competition where contestants deceive each other.
She’s living the American dream.
In 2022, Netflix released the miniseries “Inventing Anna,” based on a New York Magazine article. Delvey was portrayed by Julia Garner as enigmatic and brilliant, almost a modern-day Robin Hood. Her victims were portrayed as greedy and shallow social climbers. The money earned from the show went towards restitution.
“I’m trying not to glamorize my crimes or suggest that’s the way to get famous,” she told Jake Tapper in 2022.
And yet, she continues to flaunt her illegal actions, showing off her ankle bracelet like a prized possession.
In 2019, Delvey was jailed for her white-collar crimes and released in early 2021 for good behavior. She was then detained by ICE for overstaying her visa and released on bail to house arrest. She still faces the possibility of deportation, but that doesn’t stop her pursuit of fame.
There are people who can’t visit the US for overstaying their visas without swindling anyone.
But Delvey, with a Social Security number and active social media presence, continues to showcase her slimmed-down self to her one million followers.
There’s a part of me that admires her shameless approach. A small part.
After breaking the law, why does Delvey remain in the US, taking opportunities away from other aspiring influencers desperate for fame?
“I feel like I deserve a second chance, it was my mistake that I made and I served my time and I feel like I should deserve a second opportunity,” she has said.
Meanwhile, she walks all over the legal system.
