Tragic Details About DWTS Judge Carrie Ann Inaba

TV personality and "Dancing with the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba has been doling out constructive criticism at the judges' table on the hit reality show competition since the first season in 2005. As she gained mainstream fame and more opportunities came her way, her net worth has grown. But while her schedule has gotten busier, her health has also struggled. Through the years, Inaba has opened up about the reality of being a judge on "DWTS," and the impact public scrutiny has had on her body and mind.

Inaba's struggles span decades, and while her health issues are extensive (both mentally and physically), she's also experienced sexual abuse, tragic losses in her family, and complicated romantic relationships. The former "In Living Color" Fly Girl has made a living bringing joy to others as a dancer and an integral part of one of America's favorite shows. But behind the scenes, Carrie Ann Inaba hasn't had an easy ride.

The following article includes allegations of child sexual abuse.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

On April 16, 2026, Carrie Ann Inaba shared a video post on Instagram, explaining that while on a flight from Los Angeles to New York for a speaking engagement, she started feeling dizzy and broke out in a cold sweat. She thought she was experiencing symptoms of food poisoning until her arms went numb. "Normally I handle most of my health things on my own. Like many people who live with autoimmune disease, I travel with a health tool kit and am prepared for the worst, but this scared me," the dancer wrote in the caption of the video, which featured footage of her traveling to the hospital in an ambulance and the IV and ID bracelet on her arm. She said she called for help, although the plane was experiencing turbulence and the flight attendants were strapped in. A flight attendant answered her call. 

Inaba later told USA Today that after being released from the hospital, she took more fluids in her hotel room. On her flight home to Los Angeles, the same flight attendant who answered her call for help was on the flight crew and she was able to say thank you. Inaba said she thinks her medical episode was due to food poisoning and "a little bit of like a fainting spell."

As Carrie Ann Inaba hinted at in her caption on Instagram, she has an autoimmune disorder called Sjögren disease, which is characterized by symptoms like dry eyes and dry mouth, according to Mayo Clinic. The disease also causes chronic pain and extreme fatigue, which Inaba told Fox News she has experienced. Sjögren disease occurs when the body starts attacking its own tissues, most commonly glands that create moisture like those in the mouth and eyes. Per Mayo Clinic, it can occur simultaneously with lupus, another disease which causes the body to attack its own tissues. Inaba began speaking about her lupus diagnosis around 2019. Per Mayo Clinic, the disease can be hard to diagnose, but is characterized by a unique face rash. Other symptoms include fatigue, fever, trouble breathing, joint pain, and memory loss. 

She was also diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anemia, and Inaba shared why she was grateful for her diagnoses (via People). "It makes you take care of yourself and realize it's a very important component of a healthy lifestyle is to see the doctor regularly, make sure that you're keeping up all your checkups and getting the right tests," she said. Although her health conditions are manageable, it's rather impressive that she keeps her schedule so busy with the symptoms that she has, especially because her job sometimes requires her to dance.

Carrie Ann Inaba revealed she was molested on different episodes of "The Talk," which she guest hosted and later hosted on from January 2019 to August 2021. One revelation came in May 2018 while she was a guest host, discussing the fact that a Whitney Houston documentary covered that the late singer had been molested when she was young. When a co-host mentioned that Houston likely had a hole in her heart she was struggling to fill all her life, Inaba replied (via People): "It's true, I was molested as a kid and I feel exactly what you just said, there is a hole in me that I can never fill." 

She'd spoken about the incident in more detail in October 2017, revealing that it was a martial arts instructor who molested her, and she initially felt guilty until she reflected on the incident that night and realized she did nothing wrong. That realization inspired her to tell a friend, and therefore avoid feeling shame.

She seemed to be speaking about the same incident on the show in May 2019 when she explained that it did impact the way she dressed. "When I was a child I was molested and I thought that it was because I was attractive," she said (via People). "You get a lot of attention when you're young and you're a cute little girl and people come up to you — men included, boys included — and sometimes the advances are unwanted."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Loss is a sad part of life, whether you experience the death of a loved one or the end of a relationship. But when someone suffers multiple losses in one year, grief can start impacting your mental health more than usual, which is exactly what happened to Carrie Ann Inaba. 

On a 2022 episode of "Scan My Brain," Inaba described to Dr. Daniel Amen all of the loss and changes she experienced in her life in 2013. "That was one of those years where I moved, [my] fiancé and I broke up. His daughter and I were very close so I lost the whole family unit, my dad died. My dog died in my arms. That was a rough year," she said fighting back tears. This is an abnormal amount of tragedy and change to go through in one year while also trying to juggle a busy schedule and health issues.

Dr. Daniel Amen diagnosed Carrie Ann Inaba (or confirmed diagnoses) with more than one psychological and neurodevelopment disorder on "Scan My Brain." In an episode filmed about 8 months after she began began following his undisclosed treatment plan for her, he said that at their first appointment, he saw signs of "major depression, untreated concussion, anxiety and panic, ADHD, [and] multiple autoimmune issues." Dr. Amen developed a term to describe what was happening to Inaba's brain, an "emotional autoimmune disorder." 

" ... Your thoughts attack you," he said. "And learning to get rid of them or at least to manage them in a healthier way ... so important," he explained, noting that her negative thoughts were likely linked to her physical pain. Inaba agreed, saying that by following Dr. Amen's undisclosed personal treatment plan, she's been able to spot negative thoughts earlier and therefore reduce the symptoms they cause, like pain and panic attacks.