Derek Hough

Derek Bruce Hough is an American professional dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, and television personality. Born on May 17, 1985, in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, he was raised in a Latter-day Saint family as the fourth of five children born to Marianne and Bruce Hough. His parents met while participating on a college ballroom dance team in Idaho, and all four of his grandparents were dancers. Hough has four sisters, including dancer Julianne Hough, and shares second-cousin ties to the musicians of the band R5.

At twelve years old, Hough relocated to London to live and train with dance coaches Corky and Shirley Ballas, where his sister Julianne eventually joined him. During his ten years in the city, he attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts alongside Mark Ballas. He received instruction in various discipline styles, including jazz, ballet, tap, singing, gymnastics, and theater, while also learning to play the piano, guitar, drums, and bass. Along with Julianne and Mark, he formed a pop music group called 2B1G, performing in dance competitions and on British television. In competitive dancing, Hough secured the IDSF World Latin U-21 Championship in 2002 and the Blackpool U-21 Latin title in 2003 with partner Aneta Piotrowska.

Hough achieved widespread prominence on the ABC television series Dancing with the Stars, joining as a guest instructor in season four before becoming a regular professional dancer in season five. Over his tenure on the show through 2016, he became the only professional dancer to capture six Mirror Ball titles. His winning celebrity partners included Brooke Burke, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler, Amber Riley, and Bindi Irwin. He finished as a runner-up with Shawn Johnson and Amy Purdy, and also competed alongside partners such as Jennie Garth, Shannon Elizabeth, Lil' Kim, Joanna Krupa, Ricki Lake, Maria Menounos, Bethany Mota, Nastia Liukin, and Marilu Henner.

Beyond performing, Hough established himself as a prominent choreographer. He earned 14 Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Choreography for his work on Dancing with the Stars, winning the award four times, including a shared victory with Julianne Hough and Tessandra Chavez in 2015. In 2013, he choreographed the Olympic short dance routine for American ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who used the quickstep and foxtrot routine to capture the gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Hough has also expanded into live performance, acting, and judging. On stage, he starred in the West End production of Footloose: The Musical at the Novello Theatre, played the lead in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Millfield Theatre, and appeared in the 2015 New York Spring Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. His screen acting credits include the movie Make Your Move, a recurring role on the series Nashville, and playing Corny Collins in NBC's live production of Hairspray Live!. Additionally, he co-headlined national dance tours with his sister titled Move Live on Tour and MOVE BEYOND Live on Tour, and launched a community workout initiative called Move Interactive.

In television judging and hosting, Hough served as a judge on NBC's World of Dance alongside Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo, and Jenna Dewan from 2017 to 2020. In 2020, he returned to Dancing with the Stars starting in its 29th season to replace Len Goodman as a judge, later becoming an interim head judge for season 32. Beginning in September 2025, Hough took on hosting duties for the entertainment news program Extra starting with its 32nd season.