Witney Carson Returns to Dancing With the Stars Season 35 — While Pregnant

Witney Carson will return as a professional dancer for Dancing With the Stars season 35, and she will do it pregnant — a first for any pro dancer in the show's history, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Carson and her season 35 celebrity partner, Guillermo Rodriguez, were unveiled on Good Morning America on 17 August 2026. The same appearance coincided with the release of her episode as a guest judge on Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, a spin-off competition series.

Three days earlier, Carson had teased "three big announcements" and acknowledged "a lot of rumors" about her, seemingly referring to her unexplained absence from DWTS Con in Palm Springs, as reported by Parade. The pregnancy and the casting news appear to have been among them.

Carson is a two-time mirrorball champion — the trophy given to the winning pair each season. She won her first in season 19 (2014) with Alfonso Ribeiro and her second in season 33 (2024) with Robert Irwin. She and her husband, Carson McAllister, share two sons.

This is not Carson's first pregnancy during a Dancing With the Stars cycle. She announced she was expecting during the season 31 semifinals in 2022. Fellow pro Daniella Karagach found out she was pregnant during the season 31 premiere that same year. But Carson is the first pro dancer to enter a season of the show already pregnant.

The decision to return was not made lightly. Carson and McAllister discussed it with Dancing With the Stars casting director Deena Katz, prioritizing her health and her child's health. Carson said she was entering her second trimester the week following the announcement.

For context, Dancing With the Stars pairs professional dancers with celebrities in a weekly ballroom competition, with one couple eliminated each week until a champion is crowned. Season 35 will begin with a double premiere across two nights — 15 and 16 September — on ABC and Disney+. The full cast will be announced on Good Morning America on 2 September.

Carson's return adds a new layer to a season already generating buzz. A two-time champion dancing while pregnant, paired with a partner in Guillermo Rodriguez who is new to the ballroom, gives the show a storyline it has never had before. Whether that storyline translates into ratings momentum is a question the overnights — the next-day audience figures — will answer once the season launches.