Dance Moms: A New Era fans are outraged after what many are calling the "insensitive" airing of an episode in which a routine inspired by a murder case was performed. During episode 8 of the Hulu show titled "Glo Don't Give With Both Hands," which aired on August 7, 2024, dance coach Gloria Hampton gave one student a routine based on the late 6-year-old pageant star JonBenét Ramsey, who was abused and murdered on Christmas Day in 1996.
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Ashlan Scheide was assigned the routine.
An 11-year-old dance student, Ashlan Scheide, was assigned the JonBenét Ramsey-inspired routine. During the competition, she had her blonde hair styled to resemble Ramsey's. At one point in the performance, she even reenacted the strangulation of the late pageant star.
Viewers reacted in disgust.
"It was extremely disturbing. I feel with cases like Jonbenet and Gypsy Rose where the cases are incredibly public, several documentaries and movies made about them…people start to blur the lines and forget these are actual real life children," one person wrote under a thread on Reddit.
"That adult telling a child to research and learn 'everything' about Jonbenet is sooooo messed up," someone else commented. "No child should be exposed to that kind of trauma, let alone pressured into a interpretive dance about a child brutally murdered in her own home. That's several bridges too far."
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People called for the show to be canceled.
"So disgusting and sickening! This show should be canceled!" one viewer wrote.
"This is the sad sick world we live in and the disgusting people that we have around us. Hopefully no one lets her around their kids anymore," another person shared. "And I really hope that the show is canceled. There’s no reason for it to go on obviously they had really bad intentions."
Who is JonBenét Ramsey?
JonBenét was 6 years old when she was reported missing from her home on December 26, 1996. She was later found dead in her home, however, with the cause of death determined to be strangulation. She was also sexually abused before her murder, and a ransom note was also found in the family's home.
Her murder remains unsolved.
“This crime has left a hole in the hearts of many, and we will never stop investigating until we find JonBenet’s killer,” Police Chief Maris Herold vowed in a statement on the City of Boulder's website. “That includes following up on every lead and working with our policing partners and DNA experts around the country to solve this tragic case. This investigation has always been and will continue to be a priority for the Boulder Police Department.”
