Cheryl Burke Theorizes Why She Wasn’t Invited Back to “DWTS” for Len Goodman Tribute: 'Some People May Not Be Happy'

After speculating that her podcast was the reason behind her exclusion, Burke was asked if she still feels part of the 'DWTS' family, to which she responded, "Definitely not"

Cheryl Burke is opening up about why she believes she was excluded from Dancing with the Stars' emotional tribute to late head judge Len Goodman.

Past and former dance pros joined together to perform a stunning ballroom number dedicated to Goodman, who died of bone cancer at age 78 on April 22, 2023, during the show's "Most Memorable Year" episode in October 2023.

Burke, a 26-season competitor on the longstanding series who left after season 31, believes her iHeartRadio podcast, Sex, Lies, & Spray Tans, contributed to her exclusion.

"I would assume that some people may not be happy with my podcast that I have here with iHeart," Burke, 39, said on the latest episode of the Amy and T.J. Podcast.

Related: Cheryl Burke Reveals What's 'Absolutely' Been Therapeutic for Her Since Leaving 'Dancing with the Stars' (Exclusive)

After joking that "maybe it's the title" that was causing an issue, Burke said that "every single celebrity and dancer on this show has had an experience."

"I don't care if you're the first eliminated, or if you went all the way till the end, or if you had a bow out due to like Sarah Evans, like a divorce that she was going through," she explained. "This show is something that is a special experience that you go through these different emotions and I think it's important that we talk, and I think it's entertaining for the fans who have been sticking by their side for so many decades now, and it's just a great time. It's just like an hour long."

The professional dancer said that while not everything is "all glitter and rhinestones," every experience has "the bad, the good, the ugly."

"Regardless, I think at the end of the day, everyone can say about this show is that they took something away from the show and it made them into a better person somehow, whether that be them losing weight or them gaining confidence or whatever it is," she continued. "And I always, I always am going back to the fact that I am in gratitude for my experience and my time with the network and with you know, Dancing with the Stars in general."

Related: Cheryl Burke Says Leaving DWTS 'Was Scary' and Admits She Still Has 'a Lot of Mixed Emotions' (Exclusive)

When asked if she feels like she's still a part of the DWTS family, she added, "Definitely not."

"It's so personal, and people can separate the two. I'm like, 'Are you a sociopath?' Because I don't get it. I don't know how you do that," she said. "I don't know how you separate it because for me as an artist, dance is so vulnerable, you know, like literally so vulnerable, like Naked and Afraid."

PEOPLE has reached out to reps at Dancing with the Stars for comment.

Burke first confirmed that she would not be attending Goodman's tribute in a post shared to Threads on Oct. 19, 2023. “For those of you asking if I’ll be a part of Len Goodman’s tribute next week on DWTS, unfortunately, I wasn’t invited however, I’ll be there in spirit and can’t wait to cheer my former colleagues on!” she wrote. “Sending love and light to everyone. 🤍🙏🏼 #riplen.” she wrote.

PEOPLE reached out to reps for Dancing with the Stars at the time, but they never responded.

Hours before the tribute aired, Burke honored Goodman in her own way, sharing an emotional video on Instagram, where she opened up about how the late ballroom dance icon had shaped her career.

“Mr. Len Goodman,” she said in the video, in part. “Thank you for being the face of ballroom dancing and always standing by what was right, no matter what. You are such a huge part of the reason why Dancing with the Stars is a massive hit as the premise is about teaching celebrities how to ballroom dance, and the word 'ballroom' before the word 'dance' was all because of your many decades worth of knowledge and experience.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

She went on to praise his “tough love and no B.S. approach,” and shared that Goodman’s “respect for the art and sport of ballroom dance showed me and millions of people how much you truly cared.”

“I truly believe the show is a success and is loved and viewed by millions to this day because of your influence, your passion and love for the ballroom genre,” she said, later adding, “Thank you so much for representing us ballroom dancers and never compromising what we stood for in the ballroom community. Thank you for changing my life and for bringing joy to millions of people who have been watching us throughout the years."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.