Dancing with the Stars 2026 Cast: Season 35 ABC Roster

Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast guide maps ABC’s thirty-fifth season — the 2026 installment of the 21-time Emmy-winning ballroom competition — from its April 22, 2026 renewal through the September 2 cast reveal on Good Morning America and the expected fall premiere on ABC and Disney+. ABC News, Entertainment Weekly, Gold Derby, and Deadline confirmed four celebrity contestants ahead of the full roster announcement: reality stars Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller, Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as co-hosts; Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli return as judges. Unlike a where-are-they-now profile, net-worth listicle, or red-carpet fashion breakdown, this Pillar L reference focuses on production-confirmed casting, pro pairings once announced, and the verified ABC-Disney+ release timeline — not workout routines, dating gossip, or unverified spoiler leaks.

Season 35 follows Robert Irwin’s Season 34 Mirrorball win and the Disney+ spinoff Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, which auditioned twelve dancers for a coveted pro spot on this season. USA Celebs attributes every casting credit and air-date window to ABC press, Disney Upfronts reporting, and trade coverage; we do not invent contestants, pro partners, or premiere dates ABC has not confirmed. Read on for the confirmed celebrity bench, returning hosts and judges, professional dancer context, and how to watch when the ballroom lights up again this fall.

Dancing with the Stars 2026 Cast Guide: Season Overview

At the center of every Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast guide search is roster clarity for a season still building its cast list in late July 2026. ABC and trades confirmed these verified facts through press releases, upfront presentations, and late-night announcements:

• Renewal: ABC announced Season 35 on April 22, 2026, during Hulu’s Get Real event — co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough touted Season 34’s strongest finale audience in a decade.
• Full cast reveal: Tuesday, September 2, 2026, on Good Morning America — celebrity-pro pairings and the premiere date expected alongside the complete roster.
• Expected premiere: Fall 2026 on ABC and Disney+ simultaneously — the fourth consecutive season on dual linear-streaming windows; recent seasons debuted mid-September Tuesdays per Gold Derby and EW tracking.
• Confirmed contestants (partial): Four celebrities announced through July 2026 — Higgins, Miller, Olson, and Rodriguez; remaining stars and all pro partners pending the GMA reveal.
• Season 34 champion: Robert Irwin won the Mirrorball Trophy on the prior cycle ABC cited when renewing the franchise.
• Next-day streaming: ABC News confirmed episodes stream the day after linear broadcast on Hulu in addition to Disney+ live simulcast.

For readers mapping Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast guide queries in July 2026, expect parallel threads: reality-TV crossover contestants, sports and late-night personalities entering the ballroom, and the pro-dancer pipeline fed partly by The Next Pro audition series on Disney+.

Confirmed Celebrity Contestants So Far

ABC staggered Season 35 announcements from the April Get Real stage through a June Jimmy Kimmel Live! reveal. Our Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast guide lists only trade-verified names:

• Maura Higgins: The Love Island UK alum and The Traitors runner-up was among the first two celebrities confirmed at Hulu’s Get Real event in April 2026. Entertainment Weekly noted Higgins fresh off her Traitors finish — a crossover pattern ABC has used for reality stars entering the ballroom.
• Ciara Miller: The Summer House cast member was announced alongside Higgins in April 2026. TV Insider and Gold Derby framed Miller’s casting amid Bravo headline cycles — ABC typically pairs reality personalities with pros experienced in quick-step and cha-cha storylines.
• Jackson Olson: The Savannah Bananas second baseman and social media personality joined during Disney Upfronts coverage in May 2026, per Deadline and EW. Olson represents the athlete-contestant lane ABC has leaned on since NFL and NBA stars boosted ratings in prior seasons.
• Guillermo Rodriguez: ABC News confirmed the Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick on June 17, 2026, after Rodriguez announced his casting on Kimmel’s show. ABC’s release described Rodriguez as a parking-lot security guard turned longtime Kimmel collaborator — a comedic underdog arc producers often highlight in early package edits.

We list contestants only when ABC or major trades confirm them. Rumored names without press verification stay off this Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast guide until the GMA broadcast or an official ABC release adds them.

Guillermo Rodriguez and the Late-Night Crossover

Rodriguez’s casting expands Season 35 beyond traditional athlete-and-reality-TV lanes into late-night comedy — a category ABC explored with prior contestants but rarely from a sidekick role this visible:

• Announcement platform: Kimmel’s June 2026 show episode carried the reveal before ABC News published its official write-up — a promotional pattern ABC used for other surprise castings in franchise history.
• Character context: ABC’s press materials emphasized Rodriguez’s long tenure beside Kimmel, his immigrant story, and his comedic segments — narrative beats producers typically weave into Week 1 package pieces.
• Ballroom expectations: Trades have not assigned Rodriguez a pro partner ahead of September 2; our guide will update pairings once GMA confirms them.

Jackson Olson and the Athlete Bench

Olson’s May 2026 confirmation adds a Savannah Bananas storyline to the athlete category:

• On-field profile: EW identified Olson as a Bananas second baseman and social media creator — the team’s barnstorming brand gives producers colorful package footage beyond standard MLB crossover arcs.
• Prior athlete comparisons: ABC has cast NFL, NBA, Olympic, and college sports figures across recent seasons; Olson fits the social-media-athlete hybrid that helped Season 34 generate younger-skewing clips.
• Pro partner TBD: Like Higgins and Miller, Olson’s professional pairing awaits the September GMA reveal.

Professional Dancers and The Next Pro Pipeline

Season 35’s pro roster — and any debuting professional — will be confirmed September 2 alongside celebrity pairings. Context from Disney+ Press and ABC materials still shapes the Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast guide:

• Returning pros expected: Gold Derby and EW note ABC typically retains core pros across seasons; exact names remain unconfirmed until GMA.
• The Next Pro spinoff: Disney+ Press confirmed Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro premiered July 14, 2026, with Robert Irwin hosting twelve dancers competing for a Season 35 pro spot — new episodes dropped July 21 and July 28.
• Irwin’s dual role: Season 34 Mirrorball champion Irwin hosts the audition series while the main cast builds — ABC framed the spinoff as a pipeline into Season 35 production.
• One debuting pro rumored: Gold Derby flagged one new professional joining the main roster; we label that detail unconfirmed until ABC names the dancer on September 2.

Hosts and Judges Returning for Season 35

ABC confirmed the on-air leadership bench that has anchored the franchise since the Season 32 hosting reset:

• Alfonso Ribeiro (co-host): The Season 19 Mirrorball winner has co-hosted since 2023. Ribeiro and Julianne Hough fronted the April 2026 renewal announcement at Hulu’s Get Real event.
• Julianne Hough (co-host): The two-time pro champion and former judge returned to hosting alongside Ribeiro starting Season 32; Gold Derby notes her unique history as both pro winner and judge before taking the mic full time.
• Carrie Ann Inaba (judge): The original judge panel member continues after Len Goodman’s 2023 passing — ABC kept the trio format with Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
• Derek Hough (judge): The six-time pro champion moved from the dance floor to the judges table in recent seasons; EW lists him among Season 35’s returning judges.
• Bruno Tonioli (judge): The longtime judge rejoins Inaba and Derek Hough — the configuration ABC has used since restructuring the panel post-Goodman.

Release Timeline and How to Watch

ABC has not locked an official premiere date as of July 24, 2026, but trades outline a predictable window:

• April 22, 2026: Season 35 renewal announced at Hulu Get Real — Higgins and Miller revealed as first contestants.
• May 2026: Jackson Olson confirmed during Disney Upfronts coverage.
• June 17, 2026: Guillermo Rodriguez confirmed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and ABC News.
• July 14–28, 2026: The Next Pro episodes on Disney+ bracket mid-month competition cycles per Disney+ Press.
• September 2, 2026: Full cast, pro pairings, and premiere date on Good Morning America per ABC News and TV Insider.
• Expected premiere: Mid-September 2026 Tuesday on ABC and Disney+ — Gold Derby projects September 15 based on Seasons 33–34 patterns; treat that as an educated estimate until ABC confirms.

Season 34 Context and Franchise Momentum

ABC renewed Season 35 citing Season 34 momentum trades documented throughout the 2025 cycle:

• Robert Irwin’s win: The wildlife conservationist and television personality took the Season 34 Mirrorball — ABC highlighted the finale as the strongest audience in a decade when announcing Season 35.
• Emmy legacy: Gold Derby notes the franchise’s 21 Emmy wins; Season 35 marketing will likely lean on that pedigree during the September press push.
• Dual-platform strategy: Simulcasting on ABC and Disney+ began in recent seasons to capture linear and streaming audiences simultaneously — a model Season 35 continues.
• Spinoff experimentation: The Next Pro represents ABC’s first Disney+ audition companion feeding directly into main-season pro casting — a production wrinkle unique to this cycle.

What to Expect at the September 2 Reveal

TV Insider and Gold Derby outline the standard GMA rollout ABC uses for full-season launches:

• Complete celebrity roster: Typically twelve to sixteen couples — four names are public; the remainder arrive September 2.
• Pro pairings: Each celebrity walks out with an assigned professional dancer — the core data point every Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast guide reader waits for.
• Premiere date lock: ABC historically confirms the first live show date during the GMA special — ending months of fall-window speculation.
• First-dance previews: GMA segments often include rehearsal footage or studio performances trades embed in day-of coverage.

Confirmed Cast at a Glance (Partial — Updated Pre-GMA)

• Maura Higgins — Reality TV star (Love Island UK, The Traitors); confirmed April 2026; pro partner TBD
• Ciara Miller — Reality TV star (Summer House); confirmed April 2026; pro partner TBD
• Jackson Olson — Savannah Bananas second baseman; confirmed May 2026; pro partner TBD
• Guillermo Rodriguez — Jimmy Kimmel Live! personality; confirmed June 2026; pro partner TBD
• Alfonso Ribeiro — Co-host (confirmed returning)
• Julianne Hough — Co-host (confirmed returning)
• Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli — Judges (confirmed returning)

Source Standards for This Guide

We prioritize ABC News, Entertainment Weekly, Gold Derby, Deadline, Variety, and Disney+ Press materials. Fan wiki pages supply cross-references only when they align with ABC-stated facts. We do not invent unconfirmed contestants, pro partners, or premiere dates — our Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast guide will update after the September 2 Good Morning America broadcast when ABC publishes the complete roster.

Explore More on USA Celebs

• Browse our TV category for additional reality competition and broadcast cast guides.
• Search USA Celebs for more Pillar L franchise timelines and streaming release calendars.
• Pair this roster with ABC episode synopses once Season 35 premieres for week-by-week elimination tracking beyond our pre-season cast focus.

Disclaimer: This Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast guide is for informational reference only. Cast and release details reflect publicly reported ABC and trade information as of July 2026; USA Celebs is not affiliated with ABC, Disney, or BBC Worldwide Productions.