Following the news that Tyra Banks is stepping away from Dancing With the Stars, Julianne Hough has been announced as the new co-host.
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According to Variety, Hough will be joining Alfonso Ribeiro as the new co-host for the show’s 32nd season. She previously starred as a professional dancer on the show for five seasons (from 2007 to 2009) and then became a judge for six seasons between 2014 and 2021.
Julianne Hough took to Instagram to declare it is an honor for her to be rejoining Dancing With the Stars as a co-host. “The show holds such a special place in my heart from the many years and different roles I have had the privilege of being a part of,” Hough also shared with Variety. She then said the incredible Dancing With the Stars team has brought the “ballroom to life” every night and has been her family for the past 17 years.
“I am so excited to reunite with Alfonso, Carrie Ann, Bruno, [brother] Derek, the unbelievably talented pros, and the amazing cast on the dance floor,” Hough continued. “The energy is magnetic every time you step foot into the ballroom and I can’t wait to feel it again — and of course to share it all with the absolute best and most loyal fans — for another exciting season.”
Banks recently announced that she officially stepped down as a co-host after three seasons. “I feel it’s really time for me to focus on my business and my entrepreneurship,” Banks told TMZ last week. “And also producing more TV – but behind the scenes. I think it’s time to graduate from the dance floor to the stock market floor… from the ballroom to the boardroom!”
Julianne Hough Previously Said ‘Never Say Never’ When It Came To Returning to ‘Dancing With the Stars’
During an August 2019 interview with Us Weekly, Julianne Hough hinted about the possibility of returning to Dancing With the Stars in a big way.
“Look, never say never,” Hough said at the time. “Because you never know what one day will be from the next. But I owe my career to that show! I was 18 and they brought me back in two different ways. I was a dancer, I was a judge and I’m so happy for everything that’s going on there.”
Hough, who was also a judge on America’s Got Talent, stated that the show seems “natural” to her. “I love ballroom dancing, but I love to sing and I love to act and I love to perform,” she continued. “I do different styles of dance. So this feels more encompassing of my passion and fulfillment to be able to be on this show, watching other people’s dreams come true.”
Hough appeared on Season 14 of America’s Got Talent as a judge with Gabrielle Union, Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell, and Terry Crews. She will be appearing on Dancing With the Stars with her brother Derek as a judge. He has been a judge since the show’s 29th season and has also been a professional dancer from 2007 to 2016.
