Hailey Bills has spent years dancing on Dancing with the Stars. Now she gets to run the show from the other side of the ballroom.
The 20-year-old has officially joined the professional cast of the ABC hit, ending a secret she had been sitting on since April.
“It’s been a secret for a second now, so I am so excited just to get it out,” Bills told Teen Vogue ahead of the announcement on September 2. “It’s feeling surreal. I just can’t believe it’s happening.”
Bills already knows the Dancing with the Stars machine well. She first appeared as a professional dancer on the children’s spin-off Dancing with the Stars Juniors in 2018 before joining the main show’s troupe in 2025.
The troupe dancers perform alongside the main cast, appearing in group numbers, showcases and transitions. Becoming a pro is a different proposition altogether: Bills now has a celebrity partner to teach, rehearse with and ultimately take into the competition.
She was offered the promotion just before performing at a Dancing with the Stars live show in Los Angeles.
“That was one of the most shocking moments of my life,” Bills said. “I was like, ‘Of course!’”
The conversation happened in April 2026, meaning Bills has been carrying around a fairly substantial secret while fans speculated about whether she would eventually make the jump to the professional cast.
For Season 35, Bills is partnered with Love Thy Nader star Sarah Jane Nader, making them only the second female professional-celebrity pairing in the show’s history. The first came in 2021, when Bills’ aunt, professional dancer Jenna Johnson, was paired with JoJo Siwa. The pair finished second.
Bills says she and Nader spend around three to four hours rehearsing each day and are already enjoying the process.
The promotion also arrives as Dancing with the Stars continues to reinvent itself for a younger audience. The series first premiered in 2005, but social media has transformed the job. Influencers such as Alix Earle and younger stars including Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles have brought new audiences to the ballroom, while TikTok and Instagram have become part of the professional dancers’ work.
Bills is looking forward to making that part of the job her own.
Season 35 is also bringing several changes to the professional line-up. Bills is one of three new female pros joining the cast, alongside the return of former pro Sharna Burgess and Adele Zaikman, who won The Next Pro.
“It’s gonna be a different dynamic,” Bills said. “I just have a feeling that it’s gonna be really big.”
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Last modified: September 3, 2026
