Amber Glenn is set for a new kind of spotlight after the 2026 Winter Olympics, with the 26-year-old figure skater announced for Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars alongside Pasha Pashkov. It is a move that keeps her in the public eye, but in a very different arena from the one where she made her name on the ice.
The ballroom switch comes after a period in which Glenn has been one of the clearest and most visible voices in elite skating. She has spoken openly about her sexuality, her place in the sport and the pressure that comes with that visibility, while also trying to separate fact from rumour when her name has been pulled into online speculation.
Amber Glenn has built a public profile beyond skating
Glenn revealed in 2019 that she is bisexual/pansexual in an interview with Dallas Voice, and she later said that coming out helped her skate with more freedom. As she explained to TIME ahead of the Olympics, she felt she could lean into her strengths more once she stopped trying to fit an expected image.
That is an important part of her story. Glenn has not simply been a competitor on the ice; she has also become a representative figure for LGBTQ+ visibility in a sport where that still carries weight.
She has described herself as the first queer female skater to represent the U.S. at the Olympics, and during the 2026 Winter Olympics she said she would not stay quiet about politics and human rights for the LGBTQ+ community and others.
“It’s been a hard time for this community overall, and this administration—it is the first time that we’ve had to come together as a community and fight for our human rights,” Glenn said.
She added that politics affects everyone and that she would not simply keep quiet because she is an athlete.
That stance helps explain why Glenn has become such a recognised public figure. Her skating success matters, but so does the way she has used her platform.
Relationship rumours have followed her, but Glenn has pushed back
Part of the interest around Glenn has centred on her relationship status, although it has been unpublicized rather than confirmed. During the 2026 Winter Olympics, she also had to address social media rumours linking her to Alysa Liu and Ilia Malinin.
Her response was direct. “GUYS, ALYSA IS LIKE A LITTLE SISTER TO ME! I’VE KNOWN HER SINCE SHE WAS 10 AND I WAS 16,” Glenn wrote, before adding, “AYO PEOPLE THAT’S NOT ME” and “IM LITERALLY MID COMPETITION.”
That kind of reaction underlines the reality of life in the spotlight. As her profile has grown, so has the noise around it.
There was also earlier attention around her dating life, including a 2016 Instagram post in which she called Nathan Chen her “amazing boyfriend.” But the broader picture is that Glenn’s current focus appears to be performance, not public romance.
Why Dancing With the Stars is a smart next step
For Glenn, Dancing With the Stars offers a different stage but one that suits her profile. Season 35 will give her the chance to bring her athleticism, discipline and personality to a mainstream television audience, this time with Pasha Pashkov as her partner.
It is not a replacement for skating, but it is a platform that can widen her reach even further. That matters for any athlete, and perhaps especially for one whose career has already intersected with representation, identity and public scrutiny.
Glenn has shown that she is comfortable carrying more than one kind of expectation. On the ice, she has pushed for results. Off it, she has spoken plainly about what it means to be seen.
Now the question is how quickly she can translate that confidence into the ballroom. For viewers, that is the appeal: an Olympian stepping into a very different competition, with enough star power to make Season 35 one of the more closely watched editions of Dancing With the Stars.
