Julianne Hough to replace Tyra Banks as co-host of Dancing With The Stars
Dancing With The Stars alum Julianne Hough will return to co-host the show alongside Alfonso Ribeiro on Disney Plus
Our long national nightmare is over: Dancing With The Stars has chosen a replacement for Tyra Banks. Julianne Hough, herself a DWTS alum, will step in for the model and entrepreneur, who unconventionally announced her departure to TMZ while running errands last week. Banks has presided over the dance floor for the last three seasons, joined by co-host Alfonso Ribeiro when the competition moved to Disney+ in its 31st season.
“It is such an honor to be rejoining Dancing With The Stars as co-host,” Hough says in a statement to Variety. “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. The incredible team that brings the ballroom to life every night has been my family for the past 17 years.”
Indeed, Hough rose to prominence when she joined the cast as a dance professional in 2007, making DWTS history as the youngest pro to win the Mirrorball trophy (with her partner, Olympic skater Apolo Ohno), and one of the few to have won in their first season and more than once (in both the fourth and fifth seasons).
After bowing out as a dancer, she appeared several times as a guest judge and has served several seasons, on and off, as a member of the judges’ panel. To top it all off, she’s also worked as one of the show’s choreographers, winning a Primetime Emmy Award in 2015 for Outstanding Choreography alongside Tessandra Chavez and her brother Derek Hough (a fellow former pro and current judge).
“I am so excited to reunite with Alfonso, Carrie Ann [Inaba], Bruno [Tonioli], Derek, the unbelievably talented pros, and the amazing cast on the dance floor,” Hough’s statement continues. “The energy is magnetic every time you step foot in to 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.”
It’s been a season (or, really, a few seasons) of change for Dancing With The Stars. First came the departure of original host Tom Bergeron; then the move to Disney+; and, most recently, the retirement of head judge Len Goodman. Mainstay pros Mark Ballas and Cheryl Burke also took their final bows in the 31st season. Having both Hough siblings on board should bring some welcome stability to the long-running series.