'Dancing with the Stars' judge opens up about her late father being shot

Carrie Ann Inaba made an appearance as a guest in CBS daytime show “The Talk” and she told a personal story that shaped her views on the controversial subject of gun control.

The 50-year-old dancer-actress-singer admitted to being against guns on her October 16 visit to the popular talk show, a position she assumed early in her life when her late father Rodney Inaba received a gunshot.

The traumatic incident happened when she was still a child, and it gave her a perspective on the issue that she still maintains. Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa

“I’m not for guns because I had something happen with my father. When we were young, my dad was shot in a bar because he had an altercation with a man,” Carrie Ann revealed.

“They were talking … crap, shooting the breeze … with each other and the guy got emotional, he went home, got a gun, came back and shot my father.”

-Carrie Ann Inaba, The Talk, October 16, 2018.

Fortunately, her father survived the attack, but Carrie Ann knew that it was just luck, and she was aware that it could have been much worse, like what happens to many families that become victims of gun violence.

That is why she still has “reasons why I feel like that’s not the safest choice, because when emotions are involved, things can go terribly wrong.”

The episode taught her a difficult lesson, but she had the chance to grow up with her father by her side, and she was very close to him until he passed away in March 2013, days before DWTS season 16 premiere.

Carrie Ann used the invitation she received from People to guest-blog about her style in the dance competition to write a heartfelt note to honor the memory of her father, who, she said, inspired her “in so many ways – including my style.”

“Losing a loved one is something that is so very hard to understand and cope with. I’m filled with a tremendous sadness but also a relief, for he is in a better place now,” Carrie Ann wrote.

“He was a special man and to know him was to love him. He was a pioneer, an entrepreneur, an animal lover and he was never afraid to speak his mind. I think I got some of this from him,” she continued.

“I’m grateful for the gifts he has bestowed upon me. And in honor of my father, I chose to do the first show and not take the time off because in my heart, I know he would have wanted it that way,” she added.

Earlier this year, another member of DWTS experienced the loss of her father, and her way to deal with this was very different from that of Carrie Ann.

33-year-old DWTS pro dancer Cheryl Burke chose to take a couple weeks off from social media before she was ready to share what had happened with her expectant followers, to whom she just told she was going to be away for personal reasons.

It was only later that she addressed the subject of her father’s passing after her fans started to worry about what was going on with her and started to send her their support without knowing the true reason for her absence.