Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse has spoken out in defence of the show's new presenting trio after viewers criticised the first live show of the 2026 series.
Mabuse was back in the ballroom on Saturday night (September 26) alongside fellow judges Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke as the 15 new celebrity contestants and their professional partners performed their debut routines.
New Hosts Divide Viewers
The episode opened with a professional dance to an orchestral version of Joy by Raye, during which presenting trio Josh, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe joined the routine before introducing the couples. It marked the first live appearance of Strictly's first-ever three-person hosting team, following the departure of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman at the end of last year's series.
The presenters polarised viewers, with some taking to social media to suggest that having three hosts 'doesn't work'.
Mabuse Urges Kindness
Amid the divide, Mabuse shared a TikTok video making a plea for people to 'be kind' when sharing their thoughts online. She said: "Quick note, because you guys are like that, what happened? What happened to be kind? What happened to be kind, guys? It is out of the window? Let me know. Because when people work for hours and hours and hours to do something, and someone takes a second to rip it off, or sits there and rips it, think about delivery, guys."
She added: "Think about delivery. Everything you're doing is going into the internet, which is energy, energy going into our world. You all see how our world is going..."
Further Social Media Comments
Mabuse, a Strictly judge since 2017, also wrote on Threads: "While people type away, tearing apart real human beings on television, real emotions !!!!!!! AI is getting better at replacing them. One day we might not even know the difference. And maybe then we’ll miss the days when television was still beautifully, imperfectly human."
During week one, the new hosts split presenting duties, with Emma and Josh staying by the judges' table while Johannes joined the couples on the balcony ahead of the score reveal, a role previously held by Claudia.
