Derek Hough Teases Upcoming ‘DWTS’ Season 35 Cast Announcements

Disney/Eric McCandless

Derek Hough Teases Upcoming ‘DWTS’ Season 35 Cast Announcements

Originally posted on TV Insider | Last updated Jun 24, 2026 11:25 AM ET

Dancing With the Stars Season 35 is already shaping up to be an exciting one, and according to Derek Hough, things are only going to get better.

“We have a really good cast,” Hough teased in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Monday, June 22. “There are some people that I know are waiting in the wings. I’ve been told some of the people that are going to be on the next season. It’s going to be a great one.”

Hough went on to reflect on the ABC competition series’ recent “momentum,” sharing, “The celebrities are so excited to be on the show, to dance, to compete, to really get the full experience, and that dynamic of a celebrity who is wanting [to win] and really embracing it, that’s what creates great seasons.”

Fans will have to wait until September 2 for the full Season 35 cast announcement on Good Morning America, including which pros will return for another season of competition. A handful of celebrity contestants have already been revealed, including Summer House star Ciara Miller, The Traitors alum Maura Higgins, Savannah Bananas baseball player Jackson Olson, and Guillermo Rodriguez, a.k.a. Jimmy Kimmel‘s right-hand man on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Hough has been a mainstay on DWTS for nearly two decades. He debuted as a pro in Season 5 in 2007 and holds the record for the pro with the most Mirrorball Trophy wins with six, having won the series with partners Brooke Burke, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler, Amber Riley, and Bindi Irwin.

Disney/Eric McCandless

Following his retirement as a pro, Hough returned to DWTS as a judge during Season 29 in 2020. He has held the role ever since, and will return for Season 35 alongside fellow judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

Outside of DWTS, Hough tied the knot with his wife, Hayley Erbert, in 2023. The couple welcomed their daughter, Everley, in December 2025. Hough also took over as the host of Extra last year.

Season 34 of DWTS marked a milestone for the series, as the show celebrated its 20th anniversary. Hough commemorated the occasion by choreographing the special episode’s opening number, which featured appearances from original DWTS pro and OG host Tom Bergeron.

“It was really important to [embody] this idea of passing the torch from the pros that really began this all to this new cast of dancers,” he told the outlet of the routine, which was set to the iconic DWTS theme music. “The theme song is the one constant that’s been a throughline of all these seasons, so I thought, ‘Why don’t we dance to the theme song? But let’s mix it up and honor the different genres and styles that Dancing With the Stars showcases.’”

It was also important to Hough to pay tribute to the show’s late judge Len Goodman, who died in 2023. “The way I described it was this moment where we’re thinking of Len and we’re thinking of this beautiful ballroom show, and then there’s this figure that walks through that’s backlit with smoke, and we’re not sure who it is, because we’re in our Len feelings, and then we see Tom,” he stated. “When I was told to do this piece, I really took it to heart. I wanted to hit those different moments that really honor the show and capture the essence of 20 years.”

Dancing With the Stars, Season 35, Fall 2026, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC

This article first appeared on TV Insider and was syndicated with permission.

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