Dancing with the Stars’ class of 2026 walked straight out of a 00s magazine and onto the ballroom for a blast of A-list nostalgia.
The American version of Britain’s Strictly Come Dancing is about to hit screens once more after last year’s success, where the nation’s adopted sweetheart, Australian conservationist Robert Irwin, tap-danced his way to victory.
Now, a new cohort of celebrities is going to dance battle it out in an attempt to get their hands on the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy – and it’s a stacked cast for season 35.
Among names like reality star Maura Higgins, Glee and Grey’s Anatomy actor Harry Shum Jr and Olympic Gold medallist Amber Glenn, there are also some names that millennials will immediately clock.
First up, we have Julia Stiles herself, who captured a generation’s heart with her standout performances in movies like 10 Things I Hate About You and Save the Last Dance.
Whipping out all her dance skills from back in the day, she’s partnered with Ezra Sosa. Asked about how she’s feeling, she said: ‘I want to just enjoy it, honestly.
‘I just want to have fun, and I feel like if I am having fun, then the audience will too,’ she told ExtraTV.
As a long-time fan of the show, she’s previously called it her ‘Monday night football’.
She told Good Morning America, she’s ‘obsessed’ with the show and ‘has been for over a decade’, with it always being a ‘secret dream’ of hers to join the cast, so dreams really do come true!
‘I was always too scared to say yes until now,’ she concluded to cheers.
Now, if you thought that was an iconic pull, it’s not done yet.
Next up, we have The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum Tatyana Ali, who many will know from her stint as Ashley Banks in the hit 90s sitcom.
She’ll be joined on the floor by pro partner Jan Ravnik, and in her announcement caption shared she’s ‘got a lot of dancing to do, let’s goooo!!!’
As for when she revealed to her Fresh Prince family, she said she had to initially keep it shtum from her TV big brother, Alfonso Ribeiro, who not only won his season of the show but is now the co-host.
‘I had to wait to tell Alfonso because of the NDAs and all this. Then I waited too long because by the time I spoke to the producers and they heard that I hadn’t told him, they were like: “Shhh, don’t say anything”.
‘So that was actually one of the hardest parts in this pre-process is I wanted to talk to him so bad and tell him so bad,’ she lamented to Entertainment Weekly.
Last, but certainly not least, rounding off the nostalgia trip, we have Jenna Dewan, who herself is a former professional dancer, as we all know from her iconic appearance in the 2006 movie Step Up.
Nowadays, some fans may recognise her best from the ABC drama The Rookie.
After being asked on Good Morning America if we might see some Step Up moves on the ballroom floor, she said: ‘We have to, right, for sure. I mean this is such a crazy huge amount for me in general to be dancing, but Step Up, it’s the 20th anniversary so we gotta throw it in…’
Her pro-partner Valentin certainly seems behind the plan, so for anyone who has their dance routines memorised, you’ll be in good company.
The legendary trio and previously mentioned cast members will also be joined by Bachelor Nation’s Tyler Cameron, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, musician Taylor Hanson, and Paralympian Ezra Frech.
As well as Conner Leavitt, Sarah Jane Nader, Ciara Miller, Guillermo Rodriguez and Jackson Olson.
Meanwhile, Alfonso and co-host Julianne Hough will be back to guide our dancers through the whole nerve-wracking but exhilarating process, and judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will all be back on the panel.
Dancing with the Stars returns with a two-night premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Wednesday, Sept. 16, on ABC and Disney Plus in the US.