Derek Hough says he’s honored to sit alongside the original Dancing with the Stars judges 20 years after the celebrity ballroom show first premiered on ABC.
Hough made the comment after veteran judge Carrie Ann Inaba shared a nostalgic Instagram post that read, “In your 30s, you’re going to get a call to be a judge on Dancing with the Stars and it’s very important that you say yes.”
“Moral of the story, say yes! ? #dwts@dancingwiththestars,” Inaba, 57, wrote.
Hough, who was named a permanent judge on the ABC-dance off in 2020 after winning six mirrorball trophies as a pro dancer, noted that it was an “honor" to sit alongside Inaba and fellow original judge Bruno Tonioli.
“What other show can say they’ve had the same judges from day 1,” he wrote in the comment section. “That’s truly incredible! Honor to have danced in front and now sit beside you @carrieanninaba ❤️❤️”
Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough on "Dancing with the Stars."Photo by Eric McCandless on Getty Images
Hough’s kind words came less than a month after he was criticized for being “rude" to Inaba during a live episode of the ABC dance-off. Hough didn’t agree with Inaba’s assessment of a dance performed by Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas and called her “crazy” and “out of [her] mind.’”
At the end of the season, Hough posted on Instagram to express his gratitude for being a judge on the show alongside the OGs. “Bruno, Carrie Ann, honestly, I pinch myself with gratitude every time I sit beside you both,” he shared. ‘After 20 years, our friendship just keeps growing, and it’s a joy to share our love of dance and this show together. I’m truly honored and so fortunate to be a part of this.”
Both Inaba and Tonioli have sat at the DWTS judges' table since the show’s inception in June 2005. The original lineup also included Len Goodman, who died in 2023.
Hough has downplayed comparisons to Goodman. In an interview with Us Weekly, he said, "You know, I wish I was as good as Len. He’s absolutely irreplaceable. My God, you know, his phrases and his lines were just iconic.”
Hough has also joked about being able to speak out to Inaba and Tonioli now that he’s a judge. In 2024, he shared a throwback clip of him complaining about how the judges scored him and partner Shannon Elizabeth. In the throwback video, Elizabeth was crying after receiving the judges' critiques.
“After 15 years, I finally got to say what I really feel… to their faces! ?? ,” Hough wrote of the judges. “Let’s just say, the early days of @dancingwiththestars came with a smidge more drama ? and intensity ? than now. Nobody knows about disagreeing with the judges more than Baby Derek. ?."
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