‘Dancing with the Stars 23’ will not feature Derek Hough as pro dancer

While there is a new season of “Dancing with the Stars” coming to ABC a little bit later this fall, the sad news is that there is not going to be any more of Derek Hough in the ballroom. The popular pro dancer is going to be once again sitting out a season after doing so in the spring, as well, but it seems as though he has a perfectly good reason for it: Preparing for “Hairspray Live” among other things. That musical is coming onto NBC a little bit later this season.

As Hough (who remains the most-successful pro in the show’s history) tells E! News, though, he is certainly up for the challenge of taking this on at some other point down the road:

“I’m not one for closing chapters in that way, especially for something that’s so important to me, and that’s been like family for so many tears. So, for me in my mind, that door is always open, and we’ll see!” 

So when will we start to actually hear some genuine rumors about who is a part of the cast? Think maybe over the next couple of weeks. Usually by around late August / early September we have a very good idea, and not too long after that the cast is fully unveiled. Given that we’ve noticed a little bit of a resurgence in “Dancing with the Stars” the past couple of weeks, we’re certainly holding out hope for a great crop.

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