Will Kym Johnson’s Schedule Prevent A ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Return?
Season 21 of Dancing With the Stars is set to debut in mid-September, but there’s a big question mark hanging over one of the franchise’s most popular pros. Kym Johnson, who famously missed out on the mirror ball last season, but found love with celebrity dance partner Robert Herjavec, might not make it back into the ballroom.
The issue, according to a report by The Courier Mail, is simply one of scheduling. Kym is currently a judge on the Australian version of DWTS, and that series is set to conclude on September 13. That’s just one day before the U.S. version premieres on September 14.
Last week, People published a “first look” at the new season of Dancing With the Stars, in the form of a poster featuring Peta Murgatroyd and Artem Chigvintsev. Both were pros last year and fans can guess that they will be returning for season 21. Apart from that detail, there has not been much news on what the new season of DWTS will look like.
As season 20 was wrapping up, long-time pro Derek Hough stated he wasn’t sure whether he would be returning to the program. In recent years, some of the show’s long-standing stars have taken a step back, including Cheryl Burke, Karina Smirnoff, and Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Kym Johnson’s appearance in season 20 actually marked her return to the program. After being a staple of the program for many years, she left after season 16.
Rumors of her romance with Herjavec began very soon after the season 20 cast was announced. Although the couple were often coy about their relationship, those around them were happy to give their approval of the union. Over the summer, Herjavec has appeared in the audience to cheer on Kym as she has judged Australia’s Dancing With the Stars.
The Daily Mail reported last week that Johnson finally acknowledged the relationship after she was asked point blank by an Australian interviewer as the DWTS season was getting underway.
“Yeah. He’s lovely, he’s great. He’ll be at the first show watching and it’s really lovely to have him here.”
As for those scheduling conflicts, a publicist for Channel 7, which airs Dancing With the Stars in Australia, told The Courier Mail it is possible to arrange for Johnson to appear on both versions of the program.
“If we find ourselves in this dilemma, there’s always a way to work things out. And we would because Kym’s part of the (Channel 7) family.”
The U.S. version of Dancing With the Stars returns to ABC at 8 p.m. on September 14.
[Photo by Don Arnold / Getty Images Entertainment]