Dancing With the Stars season 35 will begin with a two-night premiere on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET. The new season answers the question fans are already asking: when does Dancing With The Stars start.
ABC will reveal the full cast on Good Morning America on September 2, giving viewers one more step before the ballroom opens for real. The early rollout has already named several competitors, including Ciara Miller, Maura Higgins, Jackson Olson, Guillermo Rodriguez, Tyler Cameron, Jenna Dewan, Conner Leavitt and Sarah Jane Nader.
The schedule is a little different from a one-night launch, and that is part of the point. A two-night premiere lets the network spread out the introductions, the pairings and the first performances across two evenings, which gives the season a longer runway before the competition settles into its regular rhythm. That structure also keeps attention on the cast reveal during the first week of September, then hands the show a second burst of momentum when the premiere arrives two weeks later.
For Witney Carson, the start date carries extra weight. ABC has already confirmed that she will be partnered with Guillermo Rodriguez, and Carson said competing this far along in pregnancy feels daunting because she has never been this far along while doing the show before. She said she does not know if it has ever been done, even as she called the chance to perform while growing her third baby with Carson McAllister a blessing. She is coming off a season 34 win with Robert Irwin, which only sharpens the expectations around her return.
There is also unfinished business around the rest of the cast. Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas reached the semifinals in season 34, while Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko finished ninth in season 33 in 2024, showing how quickly the field can shift from one year to the next. The September 2 cast reveal should fill in the remaining pairings, but the clearest answer for now is simple: Dancing With the Stars season 35 starts September 15, and the ballroom stays open into September 16.
