Actress and professional dancer Jenna Dewan was officially announced as a celebrity contestant for Season 35 of ABC's hit reality competition show Dancing with the Stars on September 2, 2026. The announcement took place live during a special broadcast of Good Morning America, where the full roster of celebrity participants and their professional dance partners was revealed to the public. Dewan is paired with longtime fan-favorite professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy. The upcoming 35th season is set to premiere with a two-night television event on September 15 and September 16, 2026, streaming live on ABC and Disney+.
Joining the competition carries special personal significance for Dewan, as her participation coincides with the milestone 20th anniversary of her breakthrough performance in the beloved 2006 dance drama film Step Up. Speaking during the cast reveal, Dewan expressed her excitement about returning to formal dance training and stepping onto the ballroom floor. The new season will be hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, featuring returning judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli evaluating the contestants' weekly performances.
Dewan initially launched her career in the entertainment industry as a high-profile backup dancer, touring and performing in music videos for world-renowned recording artists such as Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Missy Elliott. Her major acting breakthrough arrived when she starred as Nora Clark opposite Channing Tatum in Step Up (2006), a box-office success that established her credentials as a skilled performer capable of combining complex choreography with dramatic acting.
Following her breakout movie role, Dewan built an extensive television acting resume across multiple genres. She starred as Freya Beauchamp in Lifetime's fantasy drama series Witches of East End (2013–2014) and portrayed comic book character Lucy Lane in The CW's Supergirl and Superman & Lois. Since 2021, she has starred as firefighter-turned-police-officer Bailey Nune on ABC's hit procedural drama The Rookie. Dewan has also hosted major unscripted television shows, including NBC's World of Dance and Fox's Flirty Dancing.
Competing on Dancing with the Stars allows Dewan to reunite her passions for dance and television entertainment before millions of viewers. As rehearsals get underway in Los Angeles, fans are eagerly anticipating her ballroom debut when Season 35 kicks off its live broadcasts.
