Hailey Bills Confirmed for Dancing with the Stars Live Tour Following Season 35 Exit

Professional dancer Hailey Bills is officially set to hit the road for the upcoming "Dancing with the Stars" live tour, securing her spot in the traveling production following her appearance in Season 35 of the ballroom competition series. The live tour will bring the television show's choreography onto theater and arena stages across the United States and Canada, allowing fans to watch professional performers deliver group routines and specialized ballroom numbers.

Bills' inclusion in the stage lineup comes after an early departure from the televised competition this fall. Partnered with celebrity Sarah Jane Nader for Season 35, Bills saw her competitive run come to a close on the second night of the season premiere on September 16. The pair performed an energetic jive routine set to Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi," but their scores and viewer votes fell short, making them one of the first couples eliminated from the race for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

Despite the early television exit, Bills will maintain a major presence with the franchise through the extensive live tour scheduled for 2027. The traveling production is slated to launch on January 21 in Manchester, New Hampshire, before embarking on a multi-month journey across North American cities. The road schedule concludes on April 11 in Duluth, Georgia. Longtime show favorite Emma Slater will return as co-host, while Sharna Burgess is scheduled to make appearances on selected tour dates throughout February and March.

The stage production will feature a deep bench of seasoned dancers and fan favorites alongside Bills. The announced touring lineup features pro dancers Ezra Sosa and Adele Zaikman—who was also eliminated in week one alongside partner Conner Leavitt—as well as Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Rylee Arnold, and Britt Stewart. Additionally, prominent married couple Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson will anchor significant promotional material and photography as key headliners for the live tour.

Chmerkovskiy's presence on the tour roster was confirmed following internal questions surrounding his standing with the network. A source told The U.S. Sun that Chmerkovskiy "isn't going anywhere and will not be pulled over his Carrie Ann comment," noting that his tour status relies on the remainder of the season proceeding smoothly. The scrutiny stemmed from a recent controversy involving judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who penalized Johnson and celebrity partner Harry Shum Jr. over a disputed lift during a Super Bowl-themed samba performance.

The judging decision sparked tension when background dancers performed the lift rather than the competing duo, prompting Chmerkovskiy to post on social media that viewers "almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom," referencing Will Smith's onstage slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. Inaba raised safety and conduct concerns with program officials, leading to an official investigation and a one-week suspension for Chmerkovskiy, which required Alan Bersten to step in for celebrity partner Jenna Dewan during Dedication Night.

The situation has since cooled inside the television studio, with Inaba publicly clearing the air and stating that she and Johnson shared a hug immediately after the disputed episode. Inaba praised Johnson's professionalism, noted that her judging feedback aims to foster improvement, and advocated for updating the franchise's lift rules to reflect the modern evolution of the ballroom show. Chmerkovskiy's suspension was subsequently lifted ahead of the October 27 Halloween episode.

As the television competition narrows—following a Week 7 double elimination that sent Tyler Cameron and Jackson Olson home—Bills and her fellow pro dancers continue preparing for the cross-country tour. The live stage show promises to unite early-season competitors with the franchise's established headliners, offering audiences an extensive showcase of ballroom talent well after the current television season concludes.