'Dancing with the Stars' judge Julianne Hough: I'm going to be harder on my brother Derek Hough than anyone else

Dancing with the Stars' new judge Julianne Hough has addresses pro dancer Karina Smirnoff recent comments that she doesn't think it's ethical for Hough to judge her brother Derek Hough in the competition.


Derek will be competing against Karina on the upcoming nineteenth season as Julianne will be passing out scores from 1-10 alongside mainstay judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.

"People are afraid about me judging my brother, but I'm going to be even harder on him," Julianne, 26, recently told Access Hollywood Live.

In fact, Julianne pointed out one of Derek's dancing flaws.

"I always say he is [good at] the technical, intricate, really detailed stuff -- but sometimes you need some show," Julianne, who performed with her brother all summer in their Move Live tour, said of Derek's style of choreography. "Sometimes you need a little bit of pizzazz."


Julianne, who won Dancing with the Stars twice as a pro, explained she wants to be brutally honest in her critiques without showing favoritism of any kind or undeserved leniency to her friends.

"Sometimes honesty is not necessarily what you want to hear," Julianne noted, "but if somebody's actually being honest, it means that they care... It always comes from a loving place. It's never malicious, I never am just being cruel."

Added the actress, singer and dancer, "I think the thing that I hope the fans know, and of course the dancers know, is that we did grow up together, and every day we do have each other's backs. But with my new role, I do want to be able to say what I need to say."

Julianne also apparently knows Dancing with the Stars viewers will judge her right back, as will the pros. Not everyone is going to be receptive to her opinions.

"I know that I'm gonna get some fans, and I know I'm gonna get some haters. But haters gonna hate," Julianne told Access Hollywood Live. "Honestly, I'm just excited to be able to be somebody that's been on the other side... My role is very direct and honest, but it's always to see them improve. It's never just to say something rude."


Dancing with the Stars' next season premieres tonight, September 15, at 8PM ET/PT on ABC. For the list of celebrities and their pro partners who will be competing on the show, click here.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski