Mark Ballas and his mom gave fans a history lesson. On January 1, the “Dancing with the Stars” pro dancer-turned-guest-judge posted an Instagram video to explain his unusual accent.
Ballas stood alongside his famous mom, British ballroom legend Shirley Ballas, to set the record straight. “Some people want to know why my accent goes in and out. Why it sometimes sounds British and why it sometimes sounds American and why it’s a bit spotty,” he said to his mom.
“Because you have a full English mother who was born and raised in Liverpool in England, and you have a Texan father,” Shirley Ballas explained. “But you have listened to your mother’s accent your whole life, from Liverpool. You know what I mean? And when you were a little boy, you were all English. ‘Right mummy? Mummy?’ You were raised in Great Britain from age 4 to 21 and then you moved back to the U.S.”
Ballas, who was born in 1986 in Houston, Texas to dancers Shirley and Corky Ballas, clarified that he first traveled to the U.K. when he was six months old.
“So you are what we call half and half, aren’t you?” his mother continued. “You don’t realize, really, how British you are. But I love it when I hear you on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and you’ve got that English twang.”
Mark Ballas Received a Big Response to His Video
Ballas’ video came in response to a social media user who alleged that he puts on his accent “for show.” “Had to let the Queen of Latin give some of yous a history lesson 🤣🇬🇧,” he captioned the video of his mom’s explanation.
The clip received thousands of likes and many comments.
“Clap back 👏👏👏,” commented fellow DWTS alum Julianne Hough.
“Mumma Ballas @shirleyballas with the clap back 🔥,” agreed pro dancer Peta Murgatroyd.
There was even a Reddit thread dedicated to the mother-son video. Some fans were grateful for the explanation as they hadn’t noticed Ballas’ British accent until he served as a guest judge on DWTS season 33.
“Ok when he was judging this season I thought I was LOSING IT. Thank you mama ballas for explaining 😭 they are both so precious,” one fan wrote on Reddit.
Mark Ballas Previously Admitted His Accent Changes
Ballas has talked about his ever-changing accent before. In 2022, his “Dancing With the Stars” partner even joked about his accent.
“I think you’re the king of going in and out of a British accent,” Ballas’ season 31 partner Charli D’Amelio cracked in a TikTok video.
“Roasted!” he laughed.
In a “25 Things About Me” interview with Us Weekly, he revealed he grew up in London. “My accent is all over the place. Sometimes I sound British … but I still say “y’all,” he shared.
