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‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 23 Cast News: Derek Hough’s Status Confirmed For Next Season — Is He Returning?

By Heather Tooley
Published on: 02:53 PST, Aug 5, 2016

As Dancing with the Stars Season 23 rapidly approaches, fans want to know which stars and pro dancers will be on the show. While nothing official has come from ABC, plenty of rumors and clues as to who’s going to be in the fall lineup are surfacing.

A new report confirms Derek Hough’s status for the upcoming season. Is he returning?

UPDATE:

Derek Hough is returning to Dancing with the Stars for season 23, according to an August 26 report by E! News. His project, Broadway’s revival of Singin’ In The Rain, has been pushed back from this fall to some time in 2017.

“It frees me up to do some other things too, so it’s kind of fun,” Hough said. “Broadway’s one of my plans, it’s in my cards, it’s happening, but right now it’s leaving me open. Plans change a little bit, so now I have some time to create some fun opportunities, some fun things, including Hairspray.”

Original report:

E! News confirms that Derek is sitting out another season of DWTS so he can focus on other projects. He’s appearing on the NBC musical production of Hairspray Live!, which airs in October.

Don’t for a minute think Derek has turned his back on the show that launched his sizzling career!

“I’m not one for closing chapters in that way, especially for something that’s so important to me,” Derek said, “and that’s been like family for so many years. So, for me in my mind, that door is always open, and we’ll see!”

Many pros have echoed similar sentiments by saying that the Dancing with the Stars cast is family. Most of them eventually make a return for featured performances or to judge a competition. Derek’s sister, Julianne Hough, has been brought on board as a judge and plans to fill that role again if she comes back to Season 23. She’s made it clear that she won’t come back as a dancer.

As for Derek’s role on Hairspray, NBC executive Robert Greenblatt issued a statement that raved about the talent the dancer brings to the show.

“Hands-down the best dancer on television and one of the best in the entertainment business, Derek Hough, will be perfect in the role of Corny Collins, the cocky song-and-dance-man who hosts the TV show every teenager in Baltimore wants to be on,” Greenblatt said.

As the Inquisitr reported, several rumors about who’ll be on DWTS Season 23 have already been fluttering about. More about possible names to be announced can be read here. Several more names will be leaked as potential contenders up until ABC issues the finalized list.

Derek has kept busy with other projects aside from DWTS. He told People magazine in April that he wants to put his all into whatever he’s focused on.

“I think I just always had the feeling of being inspired – I want to give all to whatever I’m doing. I think I just needed a little bit of time to grow,” said Derek.

Derek Hough and his celebrity partner, Bindi Irwin, won Season 21 of Dancing with the Stars last fall. The dancer has won the Mirrorball trophy six times with his star partners.

Derek took a break from Season 22. In fact, the break meant not even watching the show! He shared that he kept updated on the show from his friends. It amazed him how consuming the show can be. By taking a step back, he was able to conceive of how overwhelming it can be. The 30-year-old got reinvigorated to take on new things so he could “grow” as a performer. At the time of his People interview, he wasn’t sure if he’d return to the cast this fall.

It’s too early to tell if Derek Hough will appear in Season 24 of DWTS next spring. It may hinge on what other opportunities come his way, or he may be ready to hit the dance floor again by then.

Dancing with the Stars Season 23 premieres Monday, September 12 on ABC at 8 p.m., ET/PT. Hairspray Live! premieres Wednesday, December 7 on NBC.

[Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]

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