Corey Feldman Was Distracted By Charlie Sheen Stories Before DWTS Elimination

Corey Feldman wasn’t on his A-game during his brief stint on Dancing With The Stars, and that is all because of Charlie Sheen, according to a new source.

If you haven’t heard, the competition series is a bit of a s**t show backstage this season. The new batch of celebrities reportedly hasn’t been fully committed like other stars in the past, and Corey was one of them. He didn’t even show up to rehearsals with partner Jenna Johnson for five days after the Good Morning America cast reveal! But why was he missing in action? His issues with Charlie, for starters. You know the 54-year-old actor has claimed for a long time that his late friend Corey Haim told him the Anger Management alum raped him when he was 13 years old.

Related: Hilaria Baldwin Mocked For Fake Spanish Accent AGAIN After DWTS Interview!

Charlie has been on a redemption tour amid the release of his memoir and documentary — a somewhat successful one at that. So, Dailymail.com sources claimed the whole thing “has been upsetting for Corey.” DWTS is already physically and emotionally draining (just ask fellow competitor Alix Earle), but add on watching your pal’s alleged rapist shine in the spotlight again at the same time? Yeah, that’s tough.

However, if you ask Jenna’s brother-in-law, he would say The Goonies star is just, well, lazy. Former DWTS pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy slammed Corey, telling Dailymail.com earlier this week:

“Jenna has a bit of an uphill climb with Corey, which is easy for everybody to say from [outside], but I know that she’s having a much more difficult time with this entire thing.”

And it had nothing to do with Corey’s age. Maks said it all comes down to “a combination [of technique and work ethic],” adding that “maybe [learning choreography is] not such a comfort zone for him.” Ouch! A brutal review!

But according to Page Six on Thursday, sources close to Corey say the claims that he was lazy in rehearsals are unfair! He was really, they say, going through a lot behind the scenes personally due to the recent headlines about Charlie, and became distracted. Sadly, that is what led to his elimination from the competition on Tuesday night!

The source shared that the musician is feeling “pretty defeated” after getting kicked off the show two episodes in. However, his short time in the ballroom isn’t what is crushing him right now. He is reportedly more upset by the narrative that he didn’t work hard or like his partner Jenna. In reality, the insiders explained he tried his best given the circumstances:

“The most upsetting thing is the narrative that he didn’t show up and that he and his partner Jenna [Johnson] didn’t get along. Corey showed up every day and worked his ass off.”

The insider also swears there is no bad blood between him and Jenna, adding:

“He developed a great friendship with Jenna! He looks forward to meeting her son and staying in touch.”

That’s good! Ultimately, Corey couldn’t get his head in the game because of the news about Charlie. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t try his best to put aside his grievances for the competition. As the source said:

“Corey attended a People magazine party with his ‘DWTS’ cast mates while having to sit with the fact that Charlie Sheen was currently on the cover of the magazine.”

Oof. During this hard time, he received a lot of love from his co-stars:

“Corey saw support from his fellow castmates like Alix Earle and Elaine Hendrix so that validated that the bonds he made were very real.”

It’s a shame his DWTS experience was reportedly ruined by his issues with Charlie resurfacing. Perhaps if the show does another All-Stars season, he can give the competition another go… unless he decides to hang up his dancing shoes permanently. Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments!

[Image via 60 Minutes Australia/YouTube, Dancing With The Stars/BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions]