Dancing with the Stars is coming back for season 35 this fall on ABC, and the roll call is already underway. Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller, Guillermo Rodriguez, and Jackson Olson have been named so far, but the cast is still not complete.
April 2026 brought the renewal for season 35, extending the long-running competition after season 34 ended on ABC and Disney+ more than six months earlier. Robert Irwin and Witney Carson finished that cycle as champions, which gives the new season a clean handoff and a built-in comparison point.
Jackson Olson gets a spotlight
May 12 produced the clearest sign that the casting reveal is moving in pieces. Derek Houg wrote on Instagram, “So, a few weeks back, I tried dropping a subtle, not so subtle, hint about Jackson stepping up to the plate for Dancing with the Stars” and then added, “Well, the cat’s out of the bag!”
Houg also wrote, “Can’t wait to see him trade home runs for heel leads and curveballs for cha-cha-cha.” That line matters because it ties Jackson’s casting to a very specific shift in the show’s offseason rollout: the names are landing before the full season 35 list does.
Hough and Ribeiro stay central
Julianne Hough is highly likely to return as a host, and Alfonso Ribeiro is highly likely to return as a host. Hough’s path gives the show continuity: she debuted as a pro in season 4, left after season 8, returned as a judge for seasons 19 through 21, and has hosted since season 32.
Ribeiro brings a different kind of continuity. He won season 19, made his hosting debut in season 31 in 2022, and has stayed with the show since then. For ABC, that keeps the on-air framework steady while the cast list is still being assembled.
Robert Irwin’s season 34 win still sits at the center of the recent reset, because it closes one cycle and sets the benchmark for the next. With only four season 35 names out in public, the real question is which remaining celebrities will be announced before the fall premiere.
