Everything to know about ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 32

Joyce Eng
·6 min read
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“Dancing with the Stars” Season 32 is back and it’s a bit different Season 31 — including having a new (old) home. Here’s everything to know about the season.

Where is “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32 airing?
ABC and Disney+. That’s right. After one season exclusively on Disney+, “Dancing” returned to ABC for Season 32, which will also stream live on Disney+. It is the first series to be simulcast on ABC and Disney+. Episodes will also be available the next day on Hulu.

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“I’m very happy we’re back on ABC,” Derek Hough told TV Insider in June. “I think it was fantastic that we moved to Disney+ for a season. It did great, but I think that there’s definitely [still] an audience on ABC, a very loyal audience that may have missed out on last season. It’s groundbreaking in that I’ll be on both platforms as the same time.”

When will “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32 premiere?
Season 32 premiered on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 8/7c on ABC. There was a possibility of a delay due to the writers’ strike as the show employs one Writers Guild of America member, but the show moved ahead with the premiere after a tentative deal was made between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Sept. 24.

Will there be ads during “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32?
On ABC? Definitely. The breaks are built into the Disney+ simulcast. Season 31 aired commercial-free and concluded before Disney+ launched its ad-supported tier.

Who is in the “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32 cast?
The entire celebrity cast was revealed Wednesday, Sept. 13 on “Good Morning America,” but we already know the first three. You can see them and their pro pairings here. Three celebs were announced prior to the reveal: “Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix, “The Bachelorette” star Charity Lawson and Jamie Lynn Spears, the younger sister of Britney Spears and star of “Zoey 101” and “Sweet Magnolias.”

“Veep” star Matt Walsh, a WGA member, briefly dropped out of the show but returned after the tentative new deal was struck. (SAG-AFTRA members are not in violation of strike rules because “Dancing” falls under the Network Code agreement, not the TV, theatrical and streaming contract the union is striking.)

SEE ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is likely to return to 3 judges following Len Goodman’s retirement

Which pros are returning for “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32?
Brandon Armstrong, Alan Bersten, Artem Chigvintsev, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy, Koko Iwasaki, Daniella Karagach, Peta Murgatroyd, Pasha Pashkov, Gleb Savchenko, Emma Slater and Britt Stewart are all back. There is one new pro for Season 32, Rylee Arnold, the younger sister of Lindsay Arnold, who also skipped Season 31 and is sitting out this season to focus on her family.

Previously, Witney Carson, who revealed during the Season 31 semifinal that she was pregnant, announced she would also miss the season. Meanwhile, Cheryl Burke and reigning champ Mark Ballas both retired after Season 31.

Is Tyra Banks hosting “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32?
Nope. Banks, who took over after Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews were fired in July 2020, told TMZ on March 16 that “it’s time” for her to leave “Dancing” so she can focus on her businesses.

Who is replacing Tyra Banks on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32?
Banks was replaced by former pro and judge Julianne Hough. “Jules is such an important part of the show. She was there from the early years and [became] the first double champ. She really set a standard early on,” her brother Derek Hough told Variety. “She can speak from the experience of being on the show [as a pro and judge]. She’s going to add a lot of value. It’s gonna be fantastic.”

Is Alfonso Ribeiro hosting “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32?
Yup! Your new co-hosts are Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough (see the Season 32 poster below). The “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star joined as co-host in Season 31 and has been a fan favorite since he competed on — and won — Season 19. Ribeiro assumed Bergeron and Banks’ old hosting role on the dance floor, while Hough replaced Ribeiro in the skybox.

Which judges are returning for “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32?
Len Goodman retired after Season 31 and sadly passed away five months later on April 22 following a battle with bone cancer (the Mirrorball trophy has been renamed in his honor). Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli are all confirmed to return on a three-person panel. That’s not entirely unexpected. While Burke has made no secret of her desire to be a judge, a source told “Entertainment Tonight” in November that “Dancing” will “likely” return to a three-person panel for Season 32. Shirley Ballas, Mark Ballas’ mother who replaced Goodman as head judge on “Strictly Come Dancing,” has also said that showrunner Conrad Green told her Season 32 will go back to three judges.

Derek Hough told “Entertainment Tonight” in March that a three-judge panel allows the show more leeway to have guest judges. “But when you have four, we did it last season with Michael Bublé, it was pretty crowded up there,” he noted. “But it was awesome, but it was crowded.”

Although Ribeiro said in June that Derek Hough will be the new head judge, the six-time Mirrorball champ told Gold Derby in July that he doesn’t think anyone will have that distinction this season.

The judges also have less to do this season because the judges’ save has been eliminated. The couple with the lowest combined score and votes will be eliminated every week.

What are the theme weeks in “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32?
Week 1: No theme
Week 2: Latin Night
Week 3: Motown Night with guest judge Michael Strahan
Week 4: Disney100 Night
Week 5: Most Memorable Year Night
Week 6: Monster Night with guest judge Niecy Nash-Betts
Week 7 (Nov. 7): Music Video Night with guest judge Paula Abdul
Week 8 (Nov. 14): Whitney Houston Night with guest judge Billy Porter
Week 9 (Nov. 21): Taylor Swift Night with guest judge Mandy Moore

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Launch Gallery: 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 32 cast: Meet the 14 new contestants and their partners

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