Carrie Ann Inaba

Carrie Ann Inaba – Life, Career, and Memorable Quotes

Learn about Carrie Ann Inaba — her journey from Hawaii to dance stardom, her roles as judge, choreographer, TV host, and advocate. Explore her biography, achievements, struggles, and inspiring quotes.

Introduction

Carrie Ann Inaba (born January 5, 1968) is an American dancer, choreographer, television personality, actress, and singer. She’s best known as a long-time judge on Dancing with the Stars, but her career spans dance, television, wellness advocacy, and creative production. Her path is one of expression, perseverance, and purpose.

Early Life and Family

Carrie Ann Inaba was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to parents Patty and Rodney Inaba.

From early childhood, she was exposed to the arts. Her first dance instruction came when she was about three years old — in a “creative movement” class where children used scarves to dance freely.

She grew up attending Punahou School in Honolulu, graduating in 1986.

Her upbringing in Hawaii, blended with exposure to multiple art forms, provided a rich foundation for her later career.

Youth, Education & Early Development

Inaba’s training in dance and the arts gave her versatility early on. Because she wasn’t limited to one style, she became adaptable across jazz, contemporary, and hula, among others.

Her early career took her abroad: in her late teens, she went to Japan, where she launched a brief singing career. Between 1986 and 1988, she released singles and worked in Japanese media, sometimes delivering lyrics phonetically.

Yet she realized that performing purely as a pop singer didn’t align with her deeper artistic inclinations, and she reoriented toward dance and performance in the U.S.

Her move back to the U.S. marked a turning point: she joined as a dancer on the Fox sketch-comedy show In Living Color in 1990, becoming one of the “Fly Girls.”

These early experiences — across cultures, disciplines, and performance types — built her adaptability and artistic identity.

Career and Achievements

Dancing, Choreography & Performance

• After In Living Color, Carrie Ann Inaba was tapped for high-profile dance opportunities, including performing on Madonna’s The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993.

• She also danced for various artists and productions, combining her movement sense with theatrical presence.

• As a choreographer, she contributed to TV shows such as American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Miss America, and others.

• She founded a production company, EnterMediArts, Inc., through which she writes, edits, directs, and produces media work.

• In theater, she was a producer for the Broadway show Burn the Floor.

Television & Hosting

• Since 2005, she has served as a judge on Dancing with the Stars, bringing her dance insight and personality to millions of viewers.

• She co-hosted the CBS daytime talk show The Talk from 2019 until 2021.

• She also appeared in TV series as guest actor/dancer, and participated in specials and variety shows.

• She once hosted a revival of 1 vs. 100 (on GSN) though only briefly.

Advocacy, Health & Wellness Work

Carrie Ann Inaba is open about living with chronic health challenges. She has been diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease, and has spoken about chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and lupus.

Through her initiative Carrie Ann Conversations, she provides insight, support, and inspiration for people navigating health, creativity, and life challenges.

She also has an animal advocacy dimension: she supports rescue animals, founded the Carrie Ann Animal Foundation in 2012, and uses her platform to raise awareness.

Her own experiences with “invisible illnesses” inform her empathy and voice in health and wellness circles.

Historical Context & Milestones

• Carrie Ann Inaba’s work on In Living Color placed her in the groundbreaking era where dance, music, and culture intersected in television in the early 1990s.

• Her tenure on Dancing with the Stars spans decades in which dance competed for mainstream entertainment attention, and she’s become a fixture, influencing public perception of dance and performance.

• Her openness about chronic disease and “invisible illnesses” reflects broader cultural shifts toward acknowledging mental, autoimmune, and chronic health conditions in public life. Her voice contributes to destigmatization.

Legacy and Influence

• As a judge on Dancing with the Stars, Inaba shapes how millions understand movement, expression, and storytelling through dance.

• Her journey from dancer to media personality to wellness advocate offers a model of evolving one’s career while staying true to core passions.

• Her advocacy around health, chronic illness, and animal welfare builds a legacy beyond entertainment—one of empathy, voice for the unseen, and service.

• For dancers and performing artists, she highlights that the body is central, but the voice, health, and self must also be tended to.

Personality, Strengths & Challenges

Strengths & Traits

• Expressive & embodied communication: She often states she felt more comfortable expressing through movement than words.

• Resilience & courage: Living and working with chronic illnesses, she continues to show up, speak out, and perform.

• Empathy & vulnerability: Her willingness to share her health challenges and creative vulnerabilities invites connection.

• Multifaceted artistry: She spans dance, choreography, production, hosting, and advocacy—she doesn’t stay boxed in.

Challenges & Hardships

• Health struggles: Autoimmune disease, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, visual issues (legally blind, refractive issues) all have affected her.

• Vulnerability in voice: She has shared that expressing herself verbally, in media or judgement, also comes with fear of misunderstanding or criticism.

• Physical demands: Working in dance and performance in the long term while managing health conditions requires sacrifices, adaptation, and discipline.

Her willingness to continue despite difficulties underscores her strength.

Famous Quotes of Carrie Ann Inaba

Here are a number of memorable quotes from Carrie Ann Inaba that reflect her philosophy, humor, introspection, and values:

“We only believe what we see. I want to see the world in color, not in fear.” “When I’m in New York, I have a wonderful hair and makeup team. We’ve just been laughing all day today. In work, I believe that you really need to choose people that you get along with because work is life, so you may as well enjoy your time. I’m lucky. I have great people around me, and we laugh all day.” “I love the show ‘Damages!’ I am truly addicted.” “I love fresh fruit and vegetables. I’m not a strict dieter. I don’t think that anything in life should be so regimented that you’re not having fun or can’t enjoy like everybody else.” “I don’t need that much to live — we don’t need that much to have a wonderful life. I learned that from animals.” “Somehow when I express my voice, I feel that much more vulnerable. For instance, if I used the wrong word, or if I said something and somebody could take the word and misinterpret it.” “I’ve really become super active in rescuing animals, and it has made my life feel so much better. I can’t even express to you how happy it has made me.” “I come from a dancing background, and I know it’s stereotypical, but I would dance because I wasn’t comfortable speaking to people.”

These quotations offer insight into her values: authenticity, balance, creative expression, vulnerability, and love of life.

Lessons from Carrie Ann Inaba

From her life and work, we can draw several lessons:

1. Let your body speak—and your voice follow
   She often felt safer expressing through dance, and gradually learned to speak her truth. That path from embodiment to voice is powerful.

2. Persistence amid adversity
   Health challenges, industry pressures, and public visibility have not halted her; she continues to create, perform, and advocate.

3. Value your inner circle
   Her comment about choosing people you get along with reflects how much environment and relationships matter in sustaining work and well-being.

4. Vulnerability builds connection
   Sharing one’s fears, health struggles, and insecurities opens space for truth, empathy, and healing.

5. Artistry is multi-dimensional
   One need not stay in only one role; she demonstrates the value of evolving, merging art forms, and expanding one’s platforms.

6. Advocacy amplifies legacy
   Her work in wellness and animal rescue shows that what one stands for can leave as deep a mark as what one performs.

Conclusion

Carrie Ann Inaba is a remarkable example of an artist who has woven movement, voice, advocacy, and authenticity across her life. From growing up in Honolulu, to dancing on In Living Color, to guiding Dancing with the Stars contestants, to speaking about health and invisible illness — she embodies resilience, creativity, and heart. Her journey reminds us that true artistry includes caring for one’s self, telling one’s truths, and lifting others along the way.