Last year,Dancing with the Starsbegan the reveal process for the next season’s celebrity participants earlier than normal, by introducing one – Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy WinnerRobert Irwin-- at the Hulu Get Real event. This year, theABC/Disney+ competition series did one better by revealing two of the celebrity dancers for the new season.
Even so, there are plenty of other celebs who have yet to be confirmed, and the rumor mill is churning away as to who may be hitting the dance floor this fall.
Following is everyone who is confirmed and rumored to take part in 2026’s Season 35 ofDancing with the Stars.
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Dancing with the StarsCast for Season 35 (2026)
Ciara Miller
Ciara was a cast member on Season 10 ofSummer Houseand competed in Season 3 of Peacock’sThe Traitors. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, she is a registered nurse who specialized as an ICU travel nurse during the pandemic and has been modeling since age 16.
Ciara has been the talk of the town recently, in the center of a whirlwind involving herSummer Housecastmates, as a profuse amount of drama has come out over a secret affair between her frequent partner,West Wilson, and former bestieAmanda Batula. The subsequent fallout has brought many Bravo fans to her side, and, hopefully, they’ll be following her to the ballroom as well.
Maura Higgins
Maura is an Irish television personality, model, and presenter who rose to fame as a finalist on Season 5 ofLove Island UKin 2019. She followed up her appearance as a contestant by serving as a social media ambassador forLove Island USAandLove Island Gamesand currently hostsLove Island USA: Aftersun. She also appeared in Season 4 ofThe Traitorsas a “Faithful,” finishing as the runner-up.
OnThe Traitors,she played the entire time in the castle alongside fellowLove IslandalumRob Rausch, completely unaware he was in the turret the entire season. And so, she experienced the most shocking blindside of the season in the closing minutes, as the two of them went to the end together, only for him to take the money he thought she had won. The good news: He bought her a Birkin bag for consolation.
Related:‘Dancing with the Stars’ Reveals Its First Celebrity Contestants for 2026
RUMORED CAST MEMBERS
Henry Winkler
It wasWilliam Shatnerwho suggested thatHenry Winklerwould be an excellent contestant after viewing a dance video that Henry had posted from a dance he performed back when he starred as the Fonz onHappy Days.
But Henry is having none of it. He replied, "Love to you but NO dancingthank you."
Related:‘Happy Days’ Star Says DWTS Isn’t Happening 50 Years After Iconic Classic TV Episode: ‘No Dancing, Thank You’
Nic Vansteenberghe
Nic Vansteenberghe finished in second place withOlandria Carthenon the 2025Love Island(Season 7) and he recently toldGlamourthat he’s got his sights set on his next reality TV series:Dancing with the Stars.In fact, he went so far as to say he’s “going to start training soon.”
What would make Nic an excellent choice is the fact that he has no previous dance training, so he would be someone we could root for from the get-go to watch improve from week to week.
“The thing about it is the progression would be insane. I would win most improved. I just want to dance,” Vansteenberghe said.
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Rosie O'Donnell
Despite the fact thatRosie O’Donnellhas moved to Ireland, her name was one that has been fronted as a possibility for Season 35 ofDWTS.But while the actress/comedienne might bring some laughs to the competition, it turns out she’s not interested and she issued a denial after this fictitious post began circulating.
On April 13, she posted on Instagram: "this made me laugh- reminds me to never get a perm !!! completely untrue but funny 😁"
Flavor Flav
Last season onDancing with the Stars,Flavor Flav served as a guest judge for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night, and it was a memorable appearance because he made a scoring error onAlix Earle, giving her a 9 when he meant to give her a 10.
According to what the rapper toldPeople, that error hasn’t stopped them from wanting him to return.“They want me to come back and dance. I don’t know. I might do it if I think I could do it.”
But more seriously he told the magazine, “No, no, I don’t [think I could do it].”
Ann-Margret
In an exclusive interview withParade,Ann-Margretrevealed that she has been asked several times to compete onDancing with the Stars, but it’s always been bad timing. As for Season 35, she says,“Oh, I have no idea,” adding, “I really am enjoying my time off.”
But she does enjoy watching the show as she identifies with both the celebrity and pro dancers: “I know all of the nerves that go through everybody when, all of a sudden, well, it’s your time to perform and [you think], ‘help!’ I go through the same emotions that they go through.”
Related:Would Ann-Margret Ever Do ‘Dancing With the Stars’? The 84-Year-Old Icon Weighs In (Exclusive)
Rob Rausch
The Traitors’Season 3 winnerDylan Efrondefinitely made an impression last season onDWTS,so it’s no surprise that Season 4 winnerRob Rauschis rumored to join the cast this season.
A source told theUS Sun, “Nothing is finalized but he’s been given the offer and there’s a spot on the cast that is his if he wants it.” Then added, “DWTSknows he’ll be a huge heartthrob of the season. That mixed with his charm and popularity will guarantee him a decent run on the show.”
TAYLOR HICKS
It’s unclear if it’s real or not but the idea was broached -- and America saw it -- when formerAmerican IdolwinnerTaylor Hicksreturned to celebrate his 20th anniversary as the title holder of the singing competition on an episode that was a crossover withDancing with the Stars, featuring performances by the pro dancers.
It wasCarrie Underwoodwho first brought up the idea that Taylor officially take his dance moves to the ABC dance competition series. Then hostRyan Seacresttook things a step further by revealing thatRob Mills, Executive Vice President of Unscripted and Alternative Entertainment forWalt DisneyTelevision, was in the studio. And when Ryan got the chance, he put the two men together. We saw Rob and Taylor meet, but we didn’t hear what they said. Stay tuned.
Secret Lives of Mormon WivesCast
After thesuccessofWhitney LeavittandJen Affleckin Season 34, the names of other cast members fromThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wivesare being bandied about, but no one for certain yet.
Related: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Launching New Spinoff to Crown the Next Pro
This story was originally published byParadeon May 8, 2026, where it first appeared in theTVsection. Add Parade as aPreferred Source by clicking here.
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