Julianne Hough & Bruno Tonioli Reflect On Longevity Of ‘Dancing With The Stars’: “Everybody Was Saying, ‘This Is Never Gonna Work'”
Julianne Hough and Bruno Tonioli discussed the early skepticism surrounding 'Dancing with the Stars' during an interview. They reflected on how the show was initially doubted but eventually became a major success. The program has been renewed for a 35th season and a new spinoff series is in development.
- ▪Julianne Hough and Bruno Tonioli recalled the initial doubts about the show's format.
- ▪The show was greenlit by Andrea Wong and quickly became a hit after its launch.
- ▪'Dancing with the Stars' has been renewed for a 35th season and will introduce a spinoff series.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Julianne Hough & Bruno Tonioli Getty Images Dancing with the Stars may be a reality competition staple today, but that wasn’t always the case, as co-host Julianne Hough and judge Bruno Tonioli recall. In a recent interview with People at the 2026 Disney Upfront, Hough and Tonioli reflected on the pervasive doubt about whether the format would work. “I mean, this show got turned down so many times at the beginning, because people were like, ‘A ballroom dancing show? Like, what? Is that really a thing?'” Hough recounted to the publication.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Deadline.
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