Dancing with the Stars may be a reality competition staple today, but that wasn’t always the case, as co-host Julianne Hough and judge Bruno Tonioli recall.
In a recent interview with People at the 2026 Disney Upfront, Hough and Tonioli reflected on the pervasive doubt about whether the format would work.
“I mean, this show got turned down so many times at the beginning, because people were like, ‘A ballroom dancing show? Like, what? Is that really a thing?’” Hough recounted to the publication.
Tonioli, an inaugural judge alongside Carrie Ann Inaba (who remains on the panel) and
Our editorial team includes several staff writers, each contributing their specialized knowledge to enhance the depth and breadth of our event and story coverage.