Ryan Lochte Gets Support From Dancing With the Stars Co-Stars After Protest: "He's an…

The Dancing With the Stars family is rallying behind Ryan Lochte. 

Following a live ambush during Monday night’s premiere, the Olympic swimmer’s DWTS co-stars are offering their support and calling out the protesters, who were wearing white Anti-Lochte T-shirts when they attempted to rush the stage after Ryan’s performance with partner Cheryl Burke. 

“The guy’s an American hero. Get over the story. It doesn’t matter,” rapper Vanilla Ice told E! News‘ Sibley Scoles following the premiere, referencing Ryan’s Rio robbery scandal. “And you know what, the guy that came out here with the shirt…never cater to a hater, just say later.”

Many of the celebs and pros said the ballroom is supposed to be a positive environment, with former Texas governor Rick Perry saying it’s not “the place” for a protest. 

“This ain’t the place for that, man. If you to protest, go find yourself someplace. Don’t come and disrupt a really fun time for America,” he said. “This isn’t a place to bring your politics; this isn’t a place to bring anything other than your joy of living and joy of dancing.”

Amber Rose added that Ryan “didn’t deserve that. It was his moment to shine, and it was really messed up.” 

Ryan’s DWTS co-stars were quick to praise the gold medalist as a “nice guy,” with country singer Jana Kramer explaining, “I just want America to see the Ryan that we’ve gotten to know, because he’s a really, really good dude. We all make mistakes.”

After the incident, fan-favorite pro Derek Hough actually came from backstage and “kicked out” the protesters, telling us, “I actually came out and said, ‘You all need to leave because this is our home, this is our house. This is a positive place, we don’t need that here, so you just need to leave.'” 

Following the premiere, E! News confirmed with the Los Angeles Police Department that two individuals who rushed the stage, Barzeen Soroudi, 25, and Sam Sotoodeh, 59, were placed under arrest for trespassing at CBS studios on the set of the ABC reality hit. 

To hear more from the Dancing With the Stars cast about the incident, watch our interviews in the video above.

DWTS airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.