ABC will reveal the full DWTS Season 35 cast reveal date on September 2, and the show has already stacked the rollout with several new celebrity names. That puts the cast announcement on Good Morning America just 13 days before the season 35 premiere on Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16.
Witney Carson said on GMA on Monday, August 17, that competing while pregnant has been daunting. “I would be lying if I said it wasn’t very daunting,” she said, adding, “I’ve never been this far along pregnant and competing on Dancing With the Stars, ever.”
September 2 on GMA
In April, Ciara Miller and Maura Higgins were unveiled as the first two celebrities to join DWTS season 35. ABC then added Jackson Olson and Guillermo Rodriguez, and later brought in Tyler Cameron and Jenna Dewan, so the September 2 reveal is less about whether the roster is moving and more about how many pairings remain to be filled in public.
Guillermo Rodriguez has already been paired with Witney Carson, which gives the season one set partnership before the full reveal arrives. Carson won DWTS season 34 with Robert Irwin, so her return immediately ties this season’s rollout to a pro who is coming off a win, not a reset.
Witney Carson and Robert Irwin
Carson’s comments matter because the season is adding a personal wrinkle to a familiar competition format. She said, “I’m so proud to be a woman, to be creating life and growing this human, and to be able to do the show and compete … is such a huge blessing.” That makes her one of the most closely watched names in the cast, even before the full September 2 announcement lands.
Jackson Olson added a different kind of pressure when he said on August 6, “I’m definitely nervous,” before comparing the first moments on the floor to the buildup before a Savannah Bananas game. He also said, “All right, that first 10 seconds,” before settling into, “Oh, this is what I’ve been practicing for,” which is the kind of transition that usually decides how fast a newcomer settles in.
September 15 and 16
The season 35 two-night premiere on Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET leaves ABC with a short runway after the September 2 reveal. That gives viewers less than two weeks to sort out the matchups, the return of Carson, and the rest of the roster before the first live dances start.
The practical answer is simple: September 2 is the day the full field comes into view, and the September 15 and 16 premiere is where the roster stops being a rollout and becomes a scoreboard. The last unanswered piece is which celebrity pairings ABC will finish announcing when the full cast is revealed on GMA.
