Derek Hough and Julianne Hough aren’t ruling out another performance in the Dancing With the Stars ballroom.
“We should. That door is always open for us to get together and do something fun, especially on Dancing With the Stars and Ovation as well,” Derek, 40, exclusively told Us Weekly in a joint interview with Julianne, 37, while promoting dance competition Ovation by DanceOne. “TBD.”
While fans might be able to watch the sibling duo strap on their dancing shoes, Derek and Julianne are definitely content with being in the ballroom as a judge and cohost, respectively. When asked whether the twosome would be interested in swapping roles, Derek and Julianne shared that they are happy with their current status.
“Jules has been there, done that,” Derek quipped, referring to Julianne’s brief stint as a judge. “Got the T-shirt. … The next thing she’s got to do on that show is, I don’t know, she could direct it or something.”
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When Derek noted that he’s “happy” as a judge, Julianne agreed that she feels “very solid” with being a cohost alongside Alfonso Ribeiro.
“Similar to Ovation, I’ve been on the stage and now I love watching other people shine,” she said. “I get to also watch as a fan this time and then I get to support and hopefully ask the right kind of questions to have America fall in love with them and want to root for them. So I really love my current position.”
As the pair gears up for season 34 of the reality show — which will feature Robert Irwin, influencer Alix Earle and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stars Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt, Derek teased that there’s going to be “a lot of tea.”
“I don’t know what that means these days, but I guess that’s a phrase that people use,” Derek quipped. “Tea will be spilled. I think there’s a lot of energy. There’s a lot of momentum with Dancing With the Stars. … I think that momentum is gonna carry through into this one and it’s already feeling bigger than it’s ever been before we’ve even started. I think it’s going to be a big season.”
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Julianne gushed that it’s “pretty cool” to be connected to a show that people talk about for 365 days, despite Dancing With the Stars only airing for three months of the year.
“The fact that it’s the 20th year and it’s never felt more relevant and in the zeitgeist of what’s happening in pop culture, it’s kind of incredible,” she said. “But I always say — this is my woo woo side — I’m like, ‘It’s family. It’s connected. It’s a transformation show masked in rhinestones and fringe and dancing.’ It’s truly about watching people go on a journey and we get to go on it with them.”
Julianne noted that she’s grown up on the show, calling it the “greatest honor” of her career to be “part of a show that has integrity and family values.” She added, “It feels like home.”
Before immersing themselves in the Dancing With the Stars world again for season 34, Derek and Julianne can be found promoting the dance competition Ovation by DanceOne.
“It was important for us to get off the screens and into the rooms face to face, to connect, because that’s what it is really about,” Derek said. “This is an experience of connection. I think that we’re on our phones, we’re on social media, we’re watching TV, but to come to an experience where you’re in the room and you’re hearing the music, you’re learning, you’re connecting — it’s that human connection, that personal experience — nothing can replace that.”
He continued, “That’s what this is all about. This is about that face to face connection, to experience something that is truly special … So come learn, connect and have a great time.”
Dancing With the Stars season 34 premieres on ABC Tuesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET.
