Kylie Kelce can’t believe how Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck is handling Dancing With the Stars just weeks after welcoming her third baby.
During the Thursday, October 16, episode of Kelce’s “Not Gonna Lie” podcast, guest Maya Rudolph mentioned that her daughter is “obsessed with” the ballroom dance competition, which kicked off its 34th season in September.
“She said that one of the girls on it … had a baby, like, nine weeks before? Something bananas, where I was like, ‘Wait, I couldn’t walk. What are you talking about?’” Rudolph, 53, quipped.
Kylie, who gave birth to her fourth daughter with husband Jason Kelce earlier this year, agreed with the Saturday Night Live alum. “Is she wearing a diaper?” Kylie wondered of postpartum underwear before joking, “I don’t think those dance costumes allow for that much space.”
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Rudolph acknowledged that Affleck, 26, is “much younger” than she was when she had her own kids with director Paul Thomas Anderson. “I started having children when I was 33 and my last one was at 41, so my body was like, ‘You’re old. What are you doing? Stop. Stop doing this,’” she added.
Still in shock over Affleck’s commitment to the competition, Kylie asked, “Has anyone done a welfare check on her?”
Affleck, for her part, has been candid about the challenges she’s facing on DWTS after giving birth in July.
“I’m out of shape,” she exclusively told Us Weekly shortly before the season premiere last month. “It’s been a year since I’ve worked out. I’m excited to get back into shape.”
At the time, Affleck said she was surprised by “all of the lifts” she and pro partner Jan Ravnik were working on in rehearsals. “We’re definitely doing a lot of lifts and flips. That’s definitely been challenging, because I am still healing from having a baby. So it’s been a bit humbling, but it’s been fun,” she explained.
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Affleck’s postpartum journey has been a big topic throughout the season, as the judges and fans alike have marveled at her confidence on the dance floor. Following her TikTok Night cha-cha on September 30 — which Carrie Ann Inaba said was “sexy” — Affleck opened up to Us about how much the judges’ support has helped her self-esteem.
“I think, just being freshly postpartum, I still struggle with body image and I think all of us women do, especially after having a baby. So any compliments that we get, we’re just like, ‘Man, [that] means a lot,’” she said after the performance.
While Rudolph doesn’t think she could have competed on DWTS postpartum, she did have a different pitch for the “Not Gonna Lie” listeners. “I think there should be an exercise class that is basically Dancing With the Stars, but you don’t have to dance on television,” she said on Thursday. “Because everyone is in the shape of their lives [on that show] and everyone is in the best mood. It’s like, the most positive, life-enforcing [experience] … and everyone’s bodies are banging.”
Fans likely won’t see Rudolph in the ABC ballroom anytime soon. “I wanna do that privately,” she joked, “I don’t wanna do that on television.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
