'Dancing with the Stars' reveals its full Season 35 cast Sept 2. Will a current or former NFL player be in the lineup?
70% of users predicted YES — the community missed this one. 20 predictions cast.
ABC revealed the full 16-contestant cast for 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 35 on Good Morning America on September 2, 2026. The lineup includes actress Julia Stiles, dancer and actress Jenna Dewan, actress Tatyana Ali, Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech, Hanson musician Taylor Hanson, Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn, 'Bachelorette' alum Tyler Cameron, and chef Giada De Laurentiis, among others, according to Deseret News and Yahoo Entertainment. Alfonso Ribeiro returns as host with Julianne Hough co-hosting, and pro Sharna Burgess rejoins the show after a season away.
No current or former NFL player appears among the 16 celebrities, despite speculation ahead of the reveal. The closest crossover figures were athletes from other sports: Frech in Paralympic track and field and Glenn in figure skating, plus Cameron, a former college football player at Florida Atlantic who never played in the NFL.
The community had priced a 70% chance an NFL player would be included, but the actual cast skewed toward television and music personalities rather than football, and the market got this one wrong. The gap reflects how a season's confirmed cast list can diverge from pre-reveal rumors that circulate once producers begin teasing individual names in the weeks before the official announcement.