Professional dancer Witney Carson is returning to the Dancing With the Stars ballroom this fall, but Season 35 will bring a challenge she has never faced before. Carson is pregnant with her third child and plans to compete for another Mirrorball Trophy while expecting.
The dancer shared the news on Good Morning America in mid-August. She and her husband, Carson McAllister, are already parents to two sons, Leo, 5, and Jet, 3. The couple married in 2016 after meeting in high school and are now preparing to welcome their third baby.
Carson plans to compete throughout Season 35 as long as she and her baby remain healthy. However, she knows the season will demand more from her physically and emotionally. The reigning champion expects to be around four months pregnant when the new season begins. She won the previous season alongside Robert Irwin, earning her second Mirrorball Trophy after previously taking home the title with Alfonso Ribeiro in Season 19.
Carson has acknowledged that competing while pregnant will take her into unfamiliar territory. “This is unfamiliar territory for me,” she said, explaining that she has never competed on Dancing With the Stars this far along in a pregnancy.
Her first trimester also presented its own challenges. Carson experienced significant nausea and needed additional rest while continuing to care for her two young children.
Despite those difficulties, the professional dancer remains committed to returning to the ballroom. She plans to balance her responsibilities as a mother with the physical demands of the competition while prioritizing her health and her baby’s well-being.
Carson will compete with Guillermo Rodriguez during the upcoming season. Rodriguez is best known as the longtime sidekick on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The pair’s partnership was announced on Good Morning America. Carson has praised Rodriguez’s fun personality and said he fits well with the stage of life she is currently experiencing.
Their partnership will give Carson another opportunity to compete for the Mirrorball Trophy while navigating her pregnancy. The complete Season 35 cast and professional pairings will be revealed on Sept. 2. The new season will then launch with a two-night premiere on Sept. 15 and 16 on ABC and Disney+.
Carson is also expanding her role within the Dancing With the Stars franchise through the spinoff Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.
The series follows aspiring professional dancers as they compete for opportunities to join the DWTS troupe. Carson will serve as a guest coach, allowing her to share her experience with dancers hoping to build careers on the show. The mentorship role gives Carson a chance to move beyond her own competition journey and help shape the franchise’s next generation of professional dancers.
Carson’s return comes after she previously stepped away from the competition during Season 32 to focus on motherhood following the birth of her second son. She eventually returned to the ballroom and reached the top again with Irwin, capturing her second Mirrorball Trophy.
Now, Carson faces an entirely different challenge. She will attempt to defend her championship while preparing to welcome another child.
With a growing family, a new celebrity partner, a mentorship role and another Mirrorball Trophy within reach, Witney Carson’s Season 35 journey could become one of the most personal and memorable chapters of her Dancing With the Stars career.
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