Maksim Chmerkovskiy Responds To Claims He 'Hated' Bristol Palin

Bristol Palin, daughter of former VP candidate Sarah Palin, stirred up some drama on Season 11 of "Dancing With the Stars," where she competed alongside pro Mark Ballas.

Despite her low scores, Bristol kept surviving week after week, and fans weren't shy about sharing their frustration. But it wasn't just viewers throwing shade—Bristol says she felt the heat from another pro, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, too.

After Bristol Palin said he "hated" her, Maksism Chmerkovskiy broke his silence.

Bristol spilled some juicy details on the latest episode of Cheryl Burke's podcast, "Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans." When asked by Burke, "who rolled their eyes" at her and her partner Mark Ballas "when you would get saved during elimination?" Bristol didn't hesitate.

"Oh, Maks? He hated me so much," she claimed, not holding back on how she felt about Chmerkovskiy's attitude toward her on the ABC competition show where she competed back in 2010.

Burke pressed further, asking, “why” Chmerkovskiy would “hate” her. The former VP candidate's daughter responded, "Probably just because we kept going through," pointing out how she and her partner Mark Ballas made it all the way to third place, even with consistently low scores week after week.

Bristol’s run on the show sparked a lot of controversy, with some critics claiming her presence was "ruining" the series. Her consistently low scores didn't seem to match how far she advanced each week, causing a stir among viewers and fans.

"I mean, [Chmerkovskiy] was real nice at the beginning, but it was one of those things where, like, as we kept going through, I definitely felt the tension from him,” she said. “I forgot about that. Yeah, because the further we went along, the more it was like, oh gosh, OK.”

After Bristol's claims went viral, a representative for Chmerkovskiy told Entertainment Weekly, "Maks doesn't hate anybody. For [Palin] to say that would be a mischaracterization of his feelings. I think he and everyone else in America, 14 years ago, thought that he and Brandy were on their way to winning that year, if not coming into the finals."

Chmerkovskiy and his celebrity partner Brandy were unexpectedly eliminated, even though they had been frontrunners throughout the season. Meanwhile, Bristol and her partner Mark Ballas moved on to the next round and ultimately finished in third place.

"So there was a bit of disappointment when she leapfrogged him into the finals," the rep added in their statement. "It's a competition. He's very competitive and took it seriously."

Despite facing backlash during her time on the show, Bristol was supported by the series' hosts and judges.

Executive producer Conrad Green told EW at the time that while "there might be an element of her vote that's from Republicans, Bristol was working at a dermatologist's office in Alaska, whereas [eventual winner] Jennifer Grey was in a movie beloved by millions of women around this country who are now our target audience."

Along with sharing her thoughts about Chmerkovskiy, Bristol also opened up about being “bullied” over her weight while she was on her season of "Dancing With The Stars."

“It was hard. It was really hard. And I mean, my weight fluctuates,” she told Burke. “It was like everyone was talking about my weight, and then I was stressed out about my weight. I felt like I was just eating even more and gaining even more weight. It was just like a vicious cycle and it affected my confidence so much for years to come because it was such a topic.”

This is something Burke, who struggles with body dysmorphia, has also been open about, recently telling Amy Robach, “ I mean, you know, I did gain a few pounds during the hiatus. Yes, I mean, naturally right like we do, but like, I am curvy in comparison to a lot of the other professional women.”

Bristol Palin was just 19 years old when she first hit the dance floor.