Protesters rush stage during Ryan Lochte's appearance on 'Dancing With The Stars'
Protesters rushed the stage of Dancing With The Stars on Monday to confront swimmer Ryan Lochte, forcing ABC to cut to an unscheduled commercial break.
Lochte and his dance partner were in the midst of receiving a critique from judge Carrie Ann Inaba when she told some people repeatedly to "back off" as staff can be seen and heard moving toward the stage.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The actual rushing of the stage didn't make it to air, but subsequent photos on Twitter show the assailants were wearing anti-Lochte shirts.
You May Also Like
A group of protestors wearing the same shirts were in the audience, who can be heard chanting "liar, liar" before they were ushered off set, as shown in an Instagram video by former swimmer Eddie Moses.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
It isn't clear what the exact motive of the protesters was. Some Twitter users, however, speculated that it was related to the robbery saga that happened during the Rio Olympics.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
When Dancing With The Stars returned from a commercial break, a shaken Lochte was interviewed by host Tom Bergeron about the "strong emotions" out there, and how it made him feel.
"So many feelings are going through my head right now," Lochte said. "I'm a little hurt. I came out here and wanted to do something I am completely not comfortable with. And I did, and I came out here with a big smile and have the best fan support here."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
A LAPD spokesperson confirmed to Mashable that two men were arrested and charged with trespassing CBS property. Mashable also reached out to ABC for comment, but the company did not immediately respond.
UPDATE: Sept. 13, 2016, 2:20 p.m. AEST Added Instagram video from Eddie Moses.
UPDATE: Sept. 13, 2016, 3:02 p.m. AEST LAPD confirms two men were arrested in the incident.
