Dancing with the Stars Season 35 cast Full lineup, partners and premiere date

Dancing with the Stars is ready to return to the ballroom with one of its most varied celebrity lineups yet.

ABC unveiled the full Season 35 cast on Good Morning America on September 2, confirming a group that includes actors Julia Stiles, Jenna Dewan and Tatyana Ali, singer Taylor Hanson, chef Giada De Laurentiis, Paralympic champion Ezra Frech, figure skater Amber Glenn, reality stars Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller and Tyler Cameron, and several other television, sports and social-media personalities. See ABC News’ official Season 35 cast announcement.

The new season begins with a two-night premiere on Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET. Both episodes will air on ABC and stream live on Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu. After premiere week, the show returns to its regular Tuesday-night schedule.

 The short answer: Dancing with the Stars Season 35 features a new celebrity cast paired with returning and newly promoted professional dancers. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as hosts, while Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli remain on the judging panel.

Dancing with the Stars Season 35 cast and pro partners

ABC has confirmed the celebrity and professional pairings for the new season.

Celebrity	Professional partner	Known for
Julia Stiles	Ezra Sosa	10 Things I Hate About You, Bourne films
Jenna Dewan	Val Chmerkovskiy	Step Up, The Rookie
Tatyana Ali	Jan Ravnik	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Taylor Hanson	Britt Stewart	Hanson
Ezra Frech	Daniella Karagach	Paralympic gold medalist
Amber Glenn	Pasha Pashkov	Olympic figure skater
Connor Wood	Rylee Arnold	Comedian and social-media creator
Sarah Jane Nader	Hailey Bills	Model and reality personality
Tyler Cameron	Sharna Burgess	The Bachelorette
Giada De Laurentiis	Alan Bersten	Chef and television host
Harry Shum Jr.	Jenna Johnson	Glee, Step Up
Conner Leavitt	Adele Zaikman	Social-media personality
Guillermo Rodriguez	Witney Carson	Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Maura Higgins	Mark Ballas	Love Island, The Traitors
Ciara Miller	Brandon Armstrong	Summer House
Jackson Olson	Emma Slater	Savannah Bananas

Julia Stiles brings Hollywood experience to the ballroom

One of the most recognizable names in this year’s cast is Julia Stiles. The actress became widely known through 10 Things I Hate About You and later appeared in the Bourne franchise, Save the Last Dance, Dexter, Hustlers and other film and television projects. She will dance with Ezra Sosa. 

Stiles gives Season 35 an established film star, but previous acting experience does not automatically translate into ballroom success. The competition will test timing, technique, stamina and the ability to learn new routines week after week.

Jenna Dewan and Harry Shum Jr. already know how to move

Two contestants arrive with unusually strong dance backgrounds. Jenna Dewan worked professionally as a backup dancer before gaining wider fame through Step Up. ABC notes that she danced with artists including Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott and Christina Aguilera before moving further into acting and television hosting. She is paired with Val Chmerkovskiy. 

Harry Shum Jr. also enters with professional dance experience. Before his role as Mike Chang on Glee, he worked as a backup dancer and later appeared in the Step Up franchise. He will compete with Jenna Johnson. 

Their backgrounds could make both contestants interesting early contenders, although DWTS judging still depends on how well celebrities adapt to specific ballroom styles rather than general performance experience.

Olympic and Paralympic athletes add a different challenge

Season 35 also brings elite athletes into the ballroom. Amber Glenn is paired with Pasha Pashkov. ABC describes Glenn as a three-time U.S. national figure skating champion and a member of the U.S. team that won Olympic gold in the figure skating team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics. ABC News cast announcement

Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech will dance with Daniella Karagach. Frech is also a world-record holder and an advocate for adaptive sports. 

Athletes often arrive with conditioning and competitive discipline, but translating those strengths into ballroom technique can create some of the season’s most interesting storylines.

Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller bring reality-TV audiences

Maura Higgins was one of the first Season 35 contestants announced before the full cast reveal. She previously appeared on Love Island and more recently competed on The Traitors. Higgins is paired with three-time Mirrorball champion Mark Ballas. 

Summer House star Ciara Miller will compete with Brandon Armstrong. Tyler Cameron adds another reality-TV name to the season and will dance with Sharna Burgess. 

Adele Zaikman earns a place as a new professional dancer

Season 35 also has a significant change on the professional side. Adele Zaikman earned a professional spot after winning the inaugural season of Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. She will partner Conner Leavitt. 

The ABC competition was created specifically to find a new professional dancer for the main series. Its finale aired at the end of August, completing Zaikman’s path into the Season 35 ballroom. ABC official series page

Who are the Season 35 hosts?

Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough are returning as co-hosts. Ribeiro joined as a host after previously winning Season 19 as a celebrity contestant. Julianne Hough returned to the franchise as a co-host in Season 32 after previously competing as a professional dancer and winning the Mirrorball twice. Good Morning America’s Season 35 guide

The pair appeared alongside the judges on Good Morning America ahead of the cast reveal.

Who are the Dancing with the Stars Season 35 judges?

The judging panel remains unchanged: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli. Inaba and Tonioli have been part of the judging lineup since the show’s first season. Derek Hough joined the judging panel in Season 29 after building his career on the program as one of its most successful professional dancers.

Derek Hough told Good Morning America that the new season will retain the familiar elements of DWTS while bringing renewed energy from the cast and professionals. 

When does Dancing with the Stars Season 35 premiere?

Season 35 begins with a special two-night launch:

Date	Time	Where to watch
Tuesday, Sept. 15	8 p.m. ET	ABC and Disney+
Wednesday, Sept. 16	8 p.m. ET	ABC and Disney+
Next day	On demand	Hulu

After the opening week, Dancing with the Stars will air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. New episodes will become available on Hulu the following day.

Season 35 arrives after a strong year for DWTS

ABC says Season 34 ended with the program’s best finale audience in a decade and averaged 10 million viewers across 35 days of multiplatform viewing. 

Robert Irwin and Witney Carson won the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in November 2025, finishing ahead of a final group that included Alix Earle, Jordan Chiles, Dylan Efron and Elaine Hendrix. 

What makes the Season 35 cast interesting?

The biggest strength of the new lineup is its range. ABC has assembled contestants with very different starting points:

• professional dance backgrounds from Jenna Dewan and Harry Shum Jr.
• elite athletic experience from Amber Glenn and Ezra Frech
• established Hollywood careers from Julia Stiles and Tatyana Ali
• music experience from Taylor Hanson
• reality-TV audiences through Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller and Tyler Cameron
• comedy and digital audiences through Guillermo Rodriguez and Connor Wood
• sports entertainment through Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson

That mix gives the competition several different kinds of potential frontrunners instead of one obvious category dominating the cast. The bigger question will be which celebrities adapt fastest once ballroom technique, live performance pressure and weekly judging become part of the equation.