Anna Delvey Says Her Story's Been 'Misrepresented,' Isn't Seeking Fame In Ziwe Interview

Ziwe is definitely a master at creating uncomfortable moments with her guests, and fearless at digging right into hard topics. With Delvey she tackled white privilege, racism, the class divide, and put the convicted felon on the spot for her alleged crimes over and over again.

Sporting a blinged-out ankle monitor as part of her house arrest, Delvey has already served her time for defrauding various businesses while pretending to be a rich heiress trying to start a foundation. She's also made it clear she's fully paid restitution to all victims.

The ankle monitor is about the status of her visa, allowing her to stay in the country as she appeals her immigration case.

"I obviously made a lot of mistakes, but I was young, like in my early 20s, and just like it's been years, and I've spent all these years in jails and prisons, I paid off my restitution," Delvey told Ziwe in the interview about her alleged crimes. "What else can I possibly do?"

"They could deport you," Ziwe offered.

"Would that make everyone happy?"

"America, most likely," the host cracked.

Dancing with the Stars has never shied away from controversial contestants, with the inclusion of Sean Spicer even upsetting then-host Tom Bergeron. But Delvey's casting was met with a massive uproar that hit The View and triggered a letter from her lawyer and a subsequent apology from the show.

On the premiere episode, Delvey's public profile since her casting saw producers place her last in the live broadcast, a spot usually reserved for the best dances. The response to her debut was mild at best.

In fact, the energy felt so different in the room, judge Carrie Ann Inaba spent her time not judging Delvey, but instead asking the audience to give her a chance to start this new chapter and show this new side of herself.

That's what Delvey said was her goal for doing the show in her package before she hit the stage. "Hopefully people will give me a chance to move on with my life because I repaid my restitution and I served my time," she told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the premiere.

At the same time, Delvey appears to take issue with how her crimes have been represented in the media before and after her 2019 convictions and subsequent sentences.

When Ziwe asked her what drove her to "exploit innocent people and engage in fraudulent activities," Delvey countered, "Well, that didn't happen."

"I was just trying to build something, and it didn't go according to plan," Delvey continued. "But if anybody bothers to like look into my case, they will see that it was never like a zero-sum game and no plan to permanently deprive anybody of anything."

Later in the interview, Ziwe asked Delvey if she could name one person she regretted scamming and Delvey replied, "Um, none."

Ziwe also asked her about her subsequent apologies, where Delvey has said she regretted "a lot of decisions I've made in the past," as she told Variety. "I have not made great choices. My mistakes are very public, and I will have to live with it forever."

"Why are you apologizing?" Ziwe asked her. "Is it because you are genuinely sorry, or because you're sorry you got caught?"

It was to this question, Delvey responded, "I think just my whole story is misrepresented in the media."

When asked to "hypothetically" detail what makes a good mark, Delvey looked right down the camera and said, "I wouldn't know." So Ziwe asked her if would "hypothetically" be easier to rob a nun or a baby.

"I don't know, a baby doesn't have anything," Delvey said.

Ziwe then asked her to "teach a class on master manipulation," by offering her advice. Delvey said to first look people in the eye. But she then wouldn't continue, smiling, laughing and saying, "I don't know. I'm not trying to be manipulative."

At another point in the interview, when urged to offer a PSA to anyone trying to quit being a scammer, Delvey said to "find something productive to do with your life." When Ziwe asked if she was looking in the mirror with that comment, she replied, "I'm not a scammer."

When Ziwe asked her who she most related to among some famous scammers, Delvey said Elizabeth Holmes, but it was her reason that really stood out. "Because she's a white female who had to go through the criminal justice system and she's in prison," Delvey explained.

Ziwe appeared to revel in making her guest uncomfortable, calling out Delvey's white privilege and even asking her if she had any Black friends. "Probably more than you," Delvey said.

When challenged to name them, Delvey responded, "I have a lot of Black friends. I spent five years in jails and prisons."

She acknowledged she benefits from white privilege in jail, saying it's "awful" how many people of color were behind bars with her in Rikers.

But is there, in any way, a desire to be famous with all of these interviews and signing on to a reality show?

"You said you don't want to be famous but one of the conditions of this interview was that we get paparazzi together," Ziwe noted in her chat with Delvey. "So why do you want to do that?"

"To like not waste hair and makeup and an outfit," Delvey responded with her signature unreadable deadpan delivery. "That's not going to make me famous. I'm just bored on house arrest."

At another point, Ziwe called her out for looking around the room and "smizing," with Delvey saying she was "just looking around the room, trying to gauge the reaction."

Later, Delvey quipped she was "vegetarian" when asked if who among the rich she would eat first before saying that she doesn't hate rich people, but rather "stupid people."

When Ziwe noted that "being self-involved is not malicious inherently," Delvey agreed, "That's not a crime." As with many other of her responses, she stared down the camera with a giggle as she replied.

In other words, Delvey remains as much an enigma after the interview as she did before. At one point mid-interview, Ziwe even told her, "You feel like an AI."