ABC’s flagship ballroom competition is dusting off its glitterball for another autumn run, with Dancing with the Stars unveiling its complete season 35 roster on Good Morning America on Wednesday morning. The network confirmed thirteen celebrity contestants and their professional partners ahead of a two-night live premiere scheduled for 15 September.
The new cohort reads like a roll-call of American pop culture: a Hollywood actor with genuine dance pedigree, a breakout social media baseball sensation, an Olympic gold medallist, a reality TV scene-stealer from across the Atlantic, and — in a move that delighted late-night fans — Jimmy Kimmel’s longtime sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez. Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli return to the judges’ desk, with Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough back at the helm as co-hosts.
Considered the American cousin of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, the long-running format pairs household names with professional dancers for a weekly ballroom showdown. Here is everything we know about season 35’s confirmed cast.
From the Jimmy Kimmel Live! Parking Lot to the Ballroom
Rodriguez, 55, was one of the early names confirmed for the season and represents one of the more heartwarming casting choices in recent memory. Once plucked from the security booth at the Hollywood Boulevard Masonic Temple — the studio home of Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Rodriguez has spent nearly two decades as a beloved fixture of the ABC late-night show. He appeared on Wednesday’s reveal in a blue flamenco outfit alongside Kimmel, beaming as he confirmed his participation.
“I’m excited! I’m very happy,” Rodriguez said, with his pro partner Witney Carson — herself returning to the series while pregnant — looking on. Kimmel, never one to miss a punchline, told him: “I want you to promise me you’re not going to lose a single adorable pound.” Rodriguez’s reply was characteristically good-natured: “I promise. If I lose five pounds, I’m gonna gain 10 pounds back right away!”
Reality TV Royalty and a Bachelor Nation Favourite
The first two celebrities announced last month were Summer House breakout Ciara Miller and Irish reality star Maura Higgins, both 30-something personalities with strong Gen Z followings. Miller’s casting comes amid a high-profile Summer House friendship fallout with co-star Amanda Batula, sparked by Batula’s relationship with Miller’s ex-boyfriend West Wilson. Executive producer Deena Katz told The Hollywood Reporter that timing was everything: “The stuff that happened to her, it was a really of-the-moment thing that we all felt like it was the right time.” Miller is paired with Brandon Armstrong, still chasing his first Mirrorball Trophy.
Higgins, 35, has been angling for a spot on the show since Katz cast her in The Traitors, where she reached the finale of season four. British viewers will recognise her from Love Island and I’m a Celebrity, while American audiences are now firmly in her corner. “She texts me every time she’s coming to L.A. She wants to have lunch. She’s been dying to do the show,” Katz said. Higgins will dance with Mark Ballas, a judge on The Next Pro — and someone she previously competed against on The Traitors.
Bachelor Nation favourite Tyler Cameron — runner-up on Hannah Brown’s season 15 of The Bachelorette — rounds out the reality contingent. Cameron is set to host an upcoming HGTV series, Let’s Go Back to Your Place, premiering in 2027. He is paired with Sharna Burgess, who returns to the ballroom after a five-year hiatus.
Dancers Return to the Dance Floor
Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising casting is Jenna Dewan, who rose through the ranks as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, Pink, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott before landing leading roles in the 2006 dance film Step Up and ABC’s police procedural The Rookie. Dewan, who began her career in music videos and on tour, will pair with Val Chmerkovskiy — a partnership that promises serious chemistry from day one.
Joining her is Harry Shum Jr., 44, whose resume includes Glee, Grey’s Anatomy and Crazy Rich Asians. A trained dancer and choreographer, Shum famously showcased his moves as Mike Chang on the glee club sitcom. He is partnered with Jenna Johnson.
Athletes, Food Networks and a Surprise Film Favourite
The athletic department is well represented this year. Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson, 28, will swap his cleats for dancing shoes alongside pro Emma Slater. The Georgia-based barnstorming exhibition team has turned Olson into a social media phenomenon, with more than three million followers across TikTok and Instagram. His casting appears to be a deliberate play by ABC to court younger viewers who consume entertainment on their phones first.
“I’m a shy kid that never danced, never put myself out there, and never entertained,” Olson admitted on Wednesday. “And now I kind of manifested this whole thing.”
Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn, 26, is another marquee signing. Should she win, she would become only the fourth figure skater to lift the Mirrorball Trophy. She is paired with Pasha Pashkov.
The Wider Lineup
The remaining pairings round out a notably diverse roster. Tasty food network veteran Giada De Laurentiis teams up with Alan Bersten, while Paralympic athlete Ezra Frech is matched with Daniella Karagach. Actor Tatyana Ali — best known as Ashley Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — will dance with Jan Ravnik, the Slovenian pro whose star has risen quickly on the international circuit.
Completing the cast are TikTok personality Connor Wood with Rylee Arnold, social media star Sarah Jane Nader with Hailey Bills, fitness influencer Conner Leavitt with Adele Zaikman, and influencer Tyler Hanson with Britt Stewart. In a late-breaking addition, actress Julia Stiles — of 10 Things I Hate About You and Save the Last Dance fame — is paired with Ezra Sosa.
Why it Matters
Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars lands at a precarious juncture for network television. With linear TV audiences continuing their steady migration towards streaming and short-form video, the show’s casting reads as a calculated gamble on cross-platform stardom. The inclusion of Olson, Nader and Wood signals that the ballroom is no longer just a destination for film premieres — it is now a proving ground for creators whose audiences live on TikTok. Pair that with serious dance pedigree in Dewan and Shum, the global appeal of Higgins, and the relatability of Rodriguez, and ABC has assembled a season engineered to spark conversation well before the first cha-cha. Whether that gamble pays off in the ratings will be one of the more interesting media stories of the autumn calendar.
