Dancing With the Stars Pros Endorse California Prop 3
Professional dancers Alan Bersten and Emma Slater face social media criticism after sharing paid campaign advertisements.
Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Dance
Live Poll
Do you find it acceptable for influencers to accept payment to promote political causes to followers?
Dancing With the Stars competitors Alan Bersten and Emma Slater recently shared paid Instagram advertisements endorsing California Proposition 3. The videos, sponsored by education and labor organizations, encourage voters to support the measure to fund schools and health care.
Why it matters
The endorsements have drawn backlash from social media users who criticized the performers for accepting payment to promote political content. Critics of the measure, which aims to make certain higher income tax rates for top earners permanent, have also raised concerns about the proposed tax policy.
Alan Bersten, 32, and Emma Slater, 37, are both professional dancers currently appearing on Dancing With the Stars. Their promotional videos were funded by a campaign committee supported by education and labor organizations.
The players
Alan Bersten
He is a professional dancer currently competing on the television series Dancing With the Stars.
Emma Slater
She is a professional dancer who is currently a participant on Dancing With the Stars.
The details
Bersten and Slater stated their motivation for the posts was to support funding for teachers and health care workers through the passage of Proposition 3. Some users on social media pushed back against the content, with one user characterizing the proposition as a permanent tax increase for state taxpayers.
Timeline
Alan Bersten posted his video regarding the proposition on Sunday.
Both dancers shared the political advertisements earlier this week.
Industry Dynamics
This situation reflects the increasing intersection between reality television influencers and targeted political campaign advertising in California. The move marks a shift in how political campaigns leverage the personal brands of performers to reach demographics outside of traditional political discourse.
The controversy may impact how viewers perceive the social media accounts of reality television stars as those figures increasingly mix entertainment content with political advocacy. Fans should be aware that promotional posts marked as paid content are part of an organized campaign strategy rather than personal endorsements.
The takeaway
When consuming social media content from public figures, it is helpful for readers to identify the disclosure labels that distinguish organic opinions from paid advertising. This allows voters to better contextualize the source and intent behind the political messaging they encounter online.
Further reading
Learn more about the local arts scene by visiting the California Dance section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Mail Online.
Live Poll
Do you find it acceptable for influencers to accept payment to promote political causes to followers?
