Thursday night’s “Dancing with the Stars” special may be celebrating the holiday season with musical performances and festive cheer, but co-host Julianne Hough is also celebrating season 34 and her long career on the show.
“I feel like it’s part of my DNA now, and I think it’s because I’ve been on the show in so many different roles over the years, it’s almost relatable to other people as well,” she told Variety.
Hough joined the series as a professional dancer in season 4 in 2007 and won both the first and second seasons. She continued to appear on the show until season 8, but left before season 9 in fall 2009. Over the next few years, she returned for certain dances, and in 2013 she became the first former professional to return as a guest judge, serving as a guest judge on both seasons 17 and 18. She then held the spot permanently for five seasons from 2014 to 2017 (seasons 19, 20, 21, 23, and 24) before retiring. After gaining several more guest judge slots over the years, she returned to the show full-time in 2023 as co-host for season 32 with Alfonso Ribeiro.
“My whole life I’ve been dancing, especially ballroom dancing, so I’ve always played a role in helping celebrities feel comfortable coming to me for anything. Professionals are the same way. I know what the judges are looking for,” she continues. “I feel lucky to have grown up on this show and to have been nurtured by this show.”
The series hit a season high, with Season 34 garnering a record number of votes (72 million for the final episode, nearly 1 billion for the season overall) and the finale drawing in 9.24 million viewers, the biggest finale since 2016. Many factors contributed to the increase, including TikTok and social media in general, but most importantly, the casting team was able to find a diverse audience of different age groups.
“Twenty years ago, where we were, being a reality star almost had a bad taste. It had that kind of connotation. But today, thanks to social media, everyone has a platform to show who they are,” Huff says. “It’s gotten wilder. It’s not just accepted, it’s accepted. You’re encouraged to be authentic about who you are. And I think this show is built on not just showing great results all the time, but being vulnerable and real, showing progression and growth.”
Julianne Hough, Daniella Caragazzi and Jenna Johnson appear on ‘DWTS’ Holiday Special.
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Personally, this has been a safe haven for Huff, no matter what’s going on elsewhere in his personal or professional life. Just kidding.
“My whole life so far has been about pivoting and trying different things, moving abroad and training. That’s been the most consistent thing in my life, and when I get home, it’s always made me feel challenged and accepted,” she explains. “This is a place where you can still discover yourself, but growth and expansion through rhinestones and glitter will all take place in a safe and restrained environment.”
Along with the positive aspects of huge viewer ratings and audience ratings, there are also negative aspects. Criticism and online bullying have prompted multiple people to speak out, including professionals, celebrities, and judges. And it’s hard to avoid it.
“What I’m realizing is that everyone wants to be noticed and everyone wants to feel important and important. The only way to really make that happen is for you to go viral. And the quickest way to go viral, unfortunately, is to do something negative,” Hough says. “Negativity begets negativity. Positivity begets positivity. This show is so positive that it has a magic sauce that generates positivity, but at the same time it activates people to be polarized and that’s what creates tension…Everyone has the right to say how they feel. If that’s not necessarily true or if you’re trying to tear someone down, it’s a shame.”
While polarity can be a positive thing — “without polarity, things just kind of disappear,” she points out — there also needs to be a line between sharing an opinion and being harmful. “You don’t have to be really, really mean. Some of the comments people are making are almost dangerous.”
“I’ve never had people talk to me like that,” she says of the mean personal comments she’s received this season, but she knows that sometimes they’re “not wrong.”
“I think that’s what makes me attractive, funny, and real. That’s what I fail to do sometimes. Instead of getting defensive, I either go along with it or just ignore it,” she says. Others, she added, have been more vitriolic. For dancers in particular, this is something that cannot be ignored.
“It’s taxing because they’re not just getting feedback from people. They’re putting so much energy into it every day. They don’t have any rest, and their bodies are exhausted,” she says. “When you’re physically exhausted, you’re more vulnerable and emotionally raw, making you more vulnerable to hurt feelings.”
Alfonso Ribeiro, Julianne Hough, Whitney Leavitt, Mark Ballas
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Whitney Leavitt was easily the best celebrity dancer of the season. However, when The Secret of the Mormons was released and she revealed that she had returned to the reality show only to audition for DWTS, viewers seemed to be disgusted with her and she was rejected that week. Levitt and her partner Mark Ballas later appeared on the podcast Call Her Daddy and revealed the severe bullying they were subjected to.
“I think everyone was shocked[by her loss],” the host said, adding that she was very saddened to see people criticize Leavitt for being “ambitious” and following her goals. “This woman is a star and this was her dream. Don’t bash someone down for finding a way to make it happen. When people are knocking other people down, I get to defend myself.”
Hough says he sympathizes with the entire cast, but he really doesn’t understand why people complain about the judging of Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough. “This is their job,” she says. “Let them do what they have to do.”
Nevertheless, she agrees that this year has been the most competitive season in years. What excites her is back. And the camaraderie between the cast proves that people can be respectful and still want to win at the same time.
“There have been some seasons where the show has been really great, but where is the competition? Life, society, culture has changed and the pendulum has swung. I think a few years ago we were in the era of everyone’s participation awards. I think the pendulum has swung back a little bit. It’s okay now. We can all support each other, but it’s good to feel competitive and want to win,” she says. “Winning doesn’t mean other people lose. Winning means giving your all, giving your all and not feeling bad. So it’s nice to be able to feel that competitive energy again on this show, but still have everyone cheering for each other. We’re rooting for people to do their best.”
The “Dancing with the Stars” holiday special will air on Tuesday, December 2nd at 8pm ET on ABC and Disney+, and will be available to stream on Hulu the next day.
