The Dancing With the Stars 2026 cast is officially complete, with ABC unveiling a packed Season 35 lineup featuring Jenna Dewan, Harry Shum Jr., Julia Stiles, Giada De Laurentiis, Tatyana Ali, Tyler Cameron and several other familiar faces from television, sports and reality TV.
The complete celebrity lineup and professional dance partners were revealed Wednesday, September 2, on Good Morning America, ending weeks of speculation surrounding who would compete for the next Mirrorball Trophy.
Season 35 will feature 16 celebrity contestants, making this year’s ballroom particularly crowded.
Among the biggest additions are The Rookie actress and former professional dancer Jenna Dewan, Glee and Grey’s Anatomy star Harry Shum Jr., 10 Things I Hate About You actress Julia Stiles, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum Tatyana Ali and former Bachelorette contestant Tyler Cameron.
They join several previously announced competitors, including Summer House star Ciara Miller, Maura Higgins, Savannah Bananas personality Jackson Olson and Jimmy Kimmel Live! favorite Guillermo Rodriguez.
With experienced dancers, Olympic athletes, actors, reality personalities and even a celebrity chef competing against one another, Season 35 could produce one of the show’s more unpredictable competitions.
Full Dancing With the Stars 2026 Cast and Partners
ABC has now confirmed all 16 celebrity-professional partnerships for Season 35.
The complete lineup is:
Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik
The actress best known to many viewers as Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will compete with Jan Ravnik.
Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess
The former Bachelorette contestant and television personality will dance with returning professional Sharna Burgess.
Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten
Celebrity chef and longtime television personality Giada De Laurentiis has been paired with Alan Bersten.
Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy
One of the season’s most interesting partnerships brings together experienced dancer and actress Jenna Dewan with veteran professional Val Chmerkovskiy.
Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach
Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech will compete alongside Daniella Karagach.
Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov
Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn will exchange the ice for the ballroom with Pasha Pashkov.
Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart
Hanson singer Taylor Hanson will compete with Britt Stewart.
Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas
Reality television personality Maura Higgins has been paired with Mark Ballas.
Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives personality Conner Leavitt will dance with new professional Adele Zaikman.
Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong
Summer House star Ciara Miller will compete alongside Brandon Armstrong.
Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills
Love Thy Nader personality Sarah Jane Nader will dance with new professional Hailey Bills.
Jackson Olson and Emma Slater
Savannah Bananas player and social media personality Jackson Olson will compete with Emma Slater.
Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson
The longtime Jimmy Kimmel Live! personality will dance with reigning professional champion Witney Carson.
Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson
The Glee, Shadowhunters and Grey’s Anatomy actor will compete with Jenna Johnson.
Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa
The actress known for films including 10 Things I Hate About You and Save the Last Dance will dance with Ezra Sosa.
Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold
Comedian, podcaster and social media personality Connor Wood will compete with Rylee Arnold.
The lineup combines celebrities with dramatically different levels of dance and performance experience, which is already creating discussion about who could have an early advantage.
Jenna Dewan Could Be One of Season 35’s Early Favorites
Jenna Dewan immediately stands out.
Before becoming widely known as an actress, Dewan worked professionally as a dancer.
She performed as a backup dancer for major artists including Janet Jackson and later achieved mainstream recognition through the 2006 dance film Step Up.
Dewan played Nora Clark opposite Channing Tatum in the movie, which became an important moment in both of their careers.
Her background means she enters Dancing With the Stars with significantly more dance experience than the typical celebrity contestant.
Dewan has also remained connected to dance throughout her career.
She hosted World of Dance and has appeared as a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance.
More recently, television viewers know her as Bailey Nune on ABC’s The Rookie.
Pairing Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy gives Season 35 one of its most intriguing combinations.
Chmerkovskiy is among the franchise’s most experienced professionals and has previously won the competition.
Dewan’s existing dance ability could make expectations particularly high when the competition begins.
Harry Shum Jr. Brings Serious Dance Experience Too
Dewan isn’t the only actor entering the ballroom with extensive dancing experience.
Harry Shum Jr. may be another contestant to watch closely.
Before becoming widely recognized as an actor, Shum developed his career through dance.
He appeared in Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D before gaining major television recognition as Mike Chang on Glee.
His dance ability became a significant part of his Glee character.
Shum later expanded his acting career through roles including Magnus Bane on Shadowhunters and Dr. Benson “Blue” Kwan on Grey’s Anatomy.
His film credits include Crazy Rich Asians and Everything Everywhere All at Once.
For Season 35, Shum has been paired with Jenna Johnson.
That partnership immediately creates another potential frontrunner.
The bigger challenge for experienced performers such as Shum and Dewan may be expectations. Viewers and judges could expect polished performances almost immediately because of their backgrounds.
Julia Stiles Returns to the Dance Floor
Julia Stiles provides another interesting connection to dance.
Stiles became one of the most recognizable young actresses of the late 1990s and early 2000s through films including 10 Things I Hate About You.
But another major role makes her casting particularly appropriate.
In 2001, Stiles starred in Save the Last Dance as Sara Johnson, an aspiring ballerina whose life changes after moving to Chicago.
The film combined ballet and hip-hop and became one of the defining dance movies of its era.
Stiles subsequently built a long acting career that included the Bourne franchise, Mona Lisa Smile, Silver Linings Playbook, Hustlers and television projects including Dexter.
She will compete with Ezra Sosa.
Her participation gives longtime fans an opportunity to see Stiles return to dancing more than two decades after Save the Last Dance became a hit.
Giada De Laurentiis Trades the Kitchen for the Ballroom
Giada De Laurentiis brings a completely different background to the competition.
The celebrity chef became one of Food Network’s most recognizable personalities through programs including Everyday Italian, Giada at Home and Giada Entertains.
Born in Rome, De Laurentiis trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before building a career combining food, television, cookbooks and restaurants.
She has written numerous bestselling cookbooks and expanded her business interests through restaurants and her Giadzy lifestyle brand.
Now she will attempt something very different.
De Laurentiis has been paired with Alan Bersten.
Unlike some of the actors and performers entering this season, she isn’t primarily known for dance.
That could make her one of the more interesting contestants to follow because Dancing With the Stars has frequently produced surprising runs from celebrities with little obvious dance experience.
Tatyana Ali Joins the Competition
Tatyana Ali is another familiar television name joining Season 35.
Ali became famous at a young age playing Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alongside Will Smith.
Her career continued beyond the sitcom.
She released music, appeared in numerous television projects and later joined The Young and the Restless.
More recently, she has appeared on Abbott Elementary.
Ali will dance with Jan Ravnik.
Her casting brings another recognizable 1990s television personality into a season that appears designed to appeal across multiple generations.
Tyler Cameron Gets Sharna Burgess as His Partner
Bachelor Nation will also have someone to support.
Tyler Cameron, who became a fan favorite during Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette, is joining the ballroom.
Cameron finished as the runner-up during Season 15 of the reality dating series and subsequently built a career across television, modeling and home renovation.
He will compete with Sharna Burgess.
Burgess’ participation is itself noteworthy.
The longtime Dancing With the Stars professional is returning to competition after several seasons away from the ballroom.
She last competed as a professional during Season 30.
Her return alongside Cameron gives the pair an immediate storyline before they perform their first dance.
Olympic Talent Arrives With Amber Glenn
Amber Glenn will attempt a transition many figure skaters have successfully made before her.
The American figure skater competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics and was part of Team USA’s gold-medal-winning team event.
Figure skating requires musicality, choreography, balance and performance ability, all of which can translate effectively to ballroom dancing.
But ballroom technique remains different from skating.
Glenn will have to adapt to performing without skates while learning unfamiliar styles alongside professional partner Pasha Pashkov.
Figure skaters have historically performed well on Dancing With the Stars, which could place Glenn among the contestants to watch.
Paralympic Champion Ezra Frech Joins Season 35
Ezra Frech gives the new season another accomplished athlete.
The Paralympian became one of the recognizable faces of Team USA through track and field.
Frech won gold medals at the 2024 Paralympic Games and has become an advocate for adaptive sports.
He will dance with Daniella Karagach.
Karagach has demonstrated an ability to build memorable routines around the individual strengths of her celebrity partners.
Their partnership could therefore become one of the season’s most compelling.
Taylor Hanson Represents the Music World
Taylor Hanson is bringing some late-1990s nostalgia to the ballroom.
He is best known as a member of Hanson alongside brothers Isaac and Zac.
The group exploded into mainstream popularity with “MMMBop,” which became one of the defining pop hits of 1997.
Hanson continued recording and touring long after the group’s initial breakthrough.
Taylor will compete with Britt Stewart.
Musicians can enter Dancing With the Stars with an advantage in rhythm and stage comfort, but ballroom technique creates an entirely different challenge.
His performance experience nevertheless makes him another contestant worth watching.
Maura Higgins Gets the Partner She Wanted
Maura Higgins’ pairing has its own entertaining history.
The Love Island personality later competed on The Traitors, where Mark Ballas was also part of the cast.
Now Ballas will become her professional dance partner.
Higgins had previously expressed interest in dancing with him if she joined Dancing With the Stars.
She got her wish.
Higgins is one of several reality television personalities in Season 35, reflecting how heavily the show continues to draw from established unscripted television fan bases.
Conner Leavitt Follows Whitney Leavitt Into DWTS
Conner Leavitt’s participation creates another direct connection to the previous season.
He is known from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and is married to Whitney Leavitt.
Whitney competed during Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars and reached the semifinals.
Now Conner gets his own opportunity.
He has been paired with Adele Zaikman, who earned her professional spot after winning Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.
That makes their partnership unusual because both enter Season 35 with something to prove.
Conner will inevitably face comparisons with his wife’s successful run, while Zaikman begins her first season as a professional partner.
Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills Make History
Sarah Jane Nader’s partnership with Hailey Bills will also attract attention.
Bills has been promoted from the show’s troupe to become a professional dancer.
Her pairing with Nader creates another same-sex partnership in the franchise’s history.
JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson became the show’s first same-sex pairing during Season 30.
Shangela and Gleb Savchenko later competed together during Season 31.
Nader is known through Love Thy Nader and also has a family connection to the ballroom.
Her sister Brooks Nader previously competed on Season 33.
Guillermo Rodriguez Teams Up With the Reigning Champion
One contestant guaranteed to bring comedy to Season 35 is Guillermo Rodriguez.
Guillermo became famous through Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he transformed from a parking-lot security guard into one of the show’s most recognizable personalities.
His celebrity interviews and Oscars red-carpet segments have become recurring features.
He has been paired with Witney Carson.
That could prove particularly interesting because Carson enters the season as the reigning professional champion after winning Season 34 with Robert Irwin.
Carson will also compete while pregnant, adding another unusual element to their partnership.
Who Else Is Competing?
The remaining lineup adds even more variety.
Summer House personality Ciara Miller will dance with Brandon Armstrong.
Savannah Bananas player and social media personality Jackson Olson will compete with Emma Slater.
Comedian and podcaster Connor Wood has been paired with Rylee Arnold.
With 16 celebrities, viewers will have considerably more personalities and partnerships to follow from the beginning.
Who Are the Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Judges?
The judging panel remains familiar.
Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough are returning.
Inaba and Tonioli have been associated with the competition since its earliest years.
Hough initially became famous as one of the show’s most successful professional dancers before moving behind the judges’ desk.
The hosts are also returning.
Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough will once again lead the live broadcasts.
Both have extensive histories with the franchise.
Ribeiro won Season 19 before eventually becoming a host, while Julianne Hough was a champion professional dancer and later served as a judge.
When Does Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Start?
Fans will not have to wait long.
Season 35 begins with a special two-night premiere.
The first episode airs Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET, followed by another episode on Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET.
The episodes will air on ABC and stream simultaneously on Disney+.
They will also be available on Hulu the following day.
Season 34 champion Robert Irwin will return during premiere week for another new addition to the franchise.
Irwin will host the DWTS After Party following the September 16 episode, providing reactions and conversations with contestants and franchise alumni.
Season 35 Has Several Potential Frontrunners
Predicting a Dancing With the Stars winner before anyone performs is notoriously difficult.
Dance experience does not guarantee success.
The competition also depends heavily on audience voting, improvement, choreography and the chemistry between celebrity contestants and their professional partners.
Still, several names immediately stand out.
Jenna Dewan and Harry Shum Jr. have extensive dance backgrounds.
Amber Glenn brings elite figure-skating experience.
Julia Stiles has previous dance training connected to her acting career.
Other contestants could benefit from stage experience, athleticism or large existing fan bases.
And some of the show’s most memorable contestants have historically been celebrities who began with limited dance ability and improved dramatically.
That unpredictability is precisely what ABC will hope makes the 16-person Season 35 cast compelling.
After weeks of rumors, the speculation about who will compete is finally over.
Jenna Dewan, Harry Shum Jr., Julia Stiles, Giada De Laurentiis, Tatyana Ali, Tyler Cameron, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, Taylor Hanson, Maura Higgins, Conner Leavitt, Ciara Miller, Sarah Jane Nader, Jackson Olson, Guillermo Rodriguez and Connor Wood are officially headed to the ballroom.
The next question is much harder to answer.
Who will take home the Mirrorball Trophy?
Disclaimer
This article is based on the official Dancing With the Stars Season 35 cast announcement and information available as of September 2, 2026. Celebrity contestants, professional dance partners, premiere scheduling and other programming details may be updated by ABC or the show’s producers. This article will be updated if significant verified changes are announced before or during the season.