The Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast is officially here, and the Season 35 ballroom is shaping up to be one of the most physically demanding stages on television. ABC and Disney+ unveiled all 16 celebrity-and-pro pairings on Good Morning America on September 2, 2026, setting up a September 15 premiere — and the roster is stacked with names that prove dancing is a serious full-body workout.
The headline draw is actress and director Julia Stiles, the star of 2001's Save the Last Dance who will now trade the movie screen for the actual dance floor. She is joined by Hanson frontman Taylor Hanson and two-time Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech, plus Step Up actress and trained dancer Jenna Dewan, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, and Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn. With 16 couples competing, Season 35 ties Season 9 and Season 31 for the largest cast in the show's history.
For a fitness-focused reader, the takeaway is simple: what these stars are about to do in the ballroom — hours of daily rehearsals, high-intensity Latin routines, and precise choreography — is exactly the kind of movement that keeps the heart, muscles, and mind in shape.
Meet the Dancing with the Stars 2026 Cast: The Full Season 35 Lineup
The complete 16-couple roster, confirmed by ABC News and USA Today on September 2, pairs each celebrity with a professional dancer:
- Tatyana Ali (actress and singer) with Jan Ravnik
- Tyler Cameron (The Bachelorette runner-up) with Sharna Burgess
- Giada De Laurentiis (celebrity chef) with Alan Bersten
- Jenna Dewan (actress and dancer) with Val Chmerkovskiy
- Ezra Frech (Paralympic track and field athlete) with Daniella Karagach
- Amber Glenn (Olympic figure skater) with Pasha Pashkov
- Taylor Hanson (Hanson frontman) with Britt Stewart
- Maura Higgins (reality TV personality) with Mark Ballas
- Conner Leavitt (The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) with Adele Zaikman
- Ciara Miller (Summer House) with Brandon Armstrong
- Sarah Jane Nader (Love Thy Nader) with Hailey Bills
- Jackson Olson (Savannah Bananas second baseman) with Emma Slater
- Guillermo Rodriguez (Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick) with Witney Carson
- Harry Shum Jr. (actor and dancer) with Jenna Johnson
- Julia Stiles (actress and director) with Ezra Sosa
- Connor Wood (comedian and podcaster) with Rylee Arnold
The athletic pedigree in this group is notable for a fitness-minded audience. Frech is a two-time Paralympian, Glenn is a competitive figure skater, Olson is a professional baseball player, and Dewan and Shum Jr. both built careers on dance. The Nader–Bills pairing also marks only the third same-sex partnership in series history, following JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson (Season 30) and Shangela and Gleb Savchenko (Season 31).
Stiles' casting is a full-circle moment for dance fans: Save the Last Dance, the film that helped make her a household name, centered on a young dancer finding her rhythm. Now she'll put in the real training.
How the 2026 Cast Came Together: A Five-Month Reveal
ABC rolled out the Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast gradually across the spring and summer of 2026 before dropping the full lineup in September:
- April 22, 2026 — Ciara Miller and Maura Higgins are announced as the first two celebrities during a Hulu unscripted upfront.
- May 12, 2026 — Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson joins during a Disney upfront.
- June 17, 2026 — TMZ reports Guillermo Rodriguez is in; Jimmy Kimmel confirms later that day.
- August 2026 — Tyler Cameron, Jenna Dewan, Julia Stiles, Tatyana Ali, Sarah Jane Nader, and Conner Leavitt are all named to the cast.
- August 17, 2026 — The first pairing is revealed on Good Morning America: Rodriguez with reigning champion Witney Carson.
- August 24, 2026 — Sharna Burgess returns as a pro after a five-year hiatus.
- August 31, 2026 — Adele Zaikman, winner of Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, joins as a first-time pro.
- September 1, 2026 — Hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough and judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli are confirmed.
- September 2, 2026 — The full 16-couple roster is revealed on Good Morning America.
Why Ballroom Dancing Is a Full-Body Cardio Workout
Beyond the celebrity spectacle, the Dancing with the Stars 2026 cast is a reminder that dance is one of the most underrated forms of exercise. Ballroom and Latin styles demand sustained cardiovascular effort, balance, and core engagement — all while making fitness feel less like a chore and more like play.
Frech's story is the most direct fitness inspiration in this year's lineup. Born without most of his left leg and missing fingers on his left hand, he received his first prosthetic leg at 11 months old and went on to become a two-time Paralympian. At the 2024 Paris Paralympics he won gold in both the 100m (T63) and high jump, and he holds the T63 high jump world record at 1.97 meters. In February 2024 he became the first above-the-knee amputee to commit to an NCAA Division I track and field program at USC.
You don't need a mirrorball trophy to reap the benefits. Regular dance workouts can improve cardiovascular endurance, coordination, flexibility, and balance — the last of which becomes especially valuable for healthy aging. Because many styles are low-impact and easily modified, dance is also a joint-friendly alternative to running for people who want to raise their heart rate without pounding the pavement. And the mental-health payoff is real: moving to music is a proven stress reliever and mood booster.
That's the framework DWTS contestants live in for months. Between choreography memorization and full-speed run-throughs, a single rehearsal can burn hundreds of calories and leave even lifelong athletes winded.
Where the Season Stands: Premiere Week Is Almost Here
The Dancing with the Stars 2026 season premieres Tuesday, September 15, 2026, airing live on both ABC and Disney+ — the fourth season to air live simultaneously on the two platforms. The two-night premiere wraps with a live aftershow hosted by Season 34 champion Robert Irwin on September 16.
There's also history in the pro lineup. Witney Carson, who will dance with Guillermo Rodriguez, is four months pregnant with her third child — making her the first professional in series history to compete while pregnant and the first to compete that far into her second trimester. Gleb Savchenko is not returning, while 20-year-old Hailey Bills joins Adele Zaikman as a first-time pro. A second season of the official podcast, hosted by Andy Richter, launches September 10.
What's Next for the Season 35 Cast
After the September 15 premiere, the couples face weekly live performances and eliminations as they build toward the finale. Early favorites on paper include the cast members with dance backgrounds — Dewan, Shum Jr., and even Stiles, whose Save the Last Dance résumé sets expectations high. But DWTS has a long history of underdogs and athletes outlasting more experienced movers, so Frech's elite conditioning and Olson's baseball agility shouldn't be counted out.
The Bottom Line: DWTS 2026 Cast Takeaways
- Season 35 premieres September 15, 2026, live on ABC and Disney+ with 16 couples — tied for the largest cast ever.
- Julia Stiles, Taylor Hanson, and Paralympic champion Ezra Frech headline a lineup that includes Jenna Dewan, Giada De Laurentiis, and Amber Glenn.
- The cast is loaded with athletes and dancers, highlighting just how demanding ballroom dance is as a workout.
- Dance training delivers cardio, balance, coordination, and flexibility benefits — a fitness strategy anyone can adopt.
