ABC
Ryan Lochte, partner Cheryl Burke and host Tom Bergeron on 'DWTS'
The Olympian appeared shocked as the live ABC reality competition show cut to commercial.
Ryan Lochte's debut on Dancing With the Stars was interrupted when a person or multiple people rushed the stage during Monday night's premiere. The Olympic swimmer appeared stunned as the live show then cut to a commercial break amid the chaos.
Lochte and partner Cheryl Burke were waiting to hear the judges comment on his performance when an audience member intervened. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba was sharing her opinions with the pair when her attention was diverted. The cameras stayed on her as the background noise grew louder. She then focused on the off-screen shuffle and repeated, "Excuse me, excuse me."
Host Tom Bergeron could be heard saying "easy" before the cameras panned back to Bergeron and a stunned Lochte and Burke.
"Take a breathe," he told the audience, before the show cut to commercial.
When the show returned from the break, host Bergeron thanked the show's security team for their efforts.
"So many feelings are going through my head right now," Lochte told Bergeron after the break. He added that he was "a little hurt."
"I came out here and I wanted to do something I was completely uncomfortable with, and I did," he said.
ABC did not immediate respond to a request for comment.
According to audience members who took to social media, the men who rushed the stage were protesters wearing anti-Lochte T-shirts.
Watch the moment below:
Dancing with the Stars
