The full cast for Dancing With the Stars has yet to be announced, but one pro is already confirming her absence. Lindsay Arnold, who joined DWTS in Season 16 before officially leaving after Season 30, revealed her future on the series in a new TikTok video. The Season 25 winner stepped away in order to spend more time with her family. While fans have still been hoping that she returns to the ballroom, Season 33 will not be the one.
Via Us Weekly, Arnold got candid on TikTok, admitting she told herself she wasn’t “done forever” when she left. ‘It was just like, ‘This is what works for my life, and we’ll just take it one season at a time.’ That question – ‘Are you going back to Dancing With the Stars?’ – is so much more complex than just, like, me deciding whether or not I wanna do it. I feel like some of you might know this, but some of you might not, that when it comes to the pros on Dancing With the Stars, you are never, ever guaranteed to be on the show. Ever.”
DANCING WITH THE STARS – ABC‘s “Dancing with the Stars” stars Lindsay Arnold.
– Maarten de Boer/ABC via Getty Images)
Arnold went on to share that she would have to wait to hear about whether she’d be returning to the series and even her contract didn’t “guarantee you a job every season.” However, she would still have to be available to do it, and she wouldn’t be able to do other shows while under contract. While the longer you’re on the show factors into your chances of returning, it still doesn’t mean a return. And if she wanted to be on DWTS, she would have had to express interest to the producers and it would be a “waiting game.” “It’s not as simple as just me being like, ‘I wanna be on the show!'” Arnold shared.
There’s also the fact that Lindsay Arnold currently lives with her husband and two young daughters in Utah, and she can’t exactly “start making preparations to move.. because everything is very last-minute.” With all of that to consider, Arnold revealed she did not express interest in returning for the upcoming season. “No conversations have really gone on,” she said. “It’s not really something that’s been in the cards for me at this time in my life.” Arnold did say that with her sister Rylee Arnold now on the series, she’s able to cheer her on and still keep the series close to her heart.
Meanwhile, longtime pro Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy told PopCulture.com she’d love to return for Season 33 and is just eagerly waiting for the phone call. The full cast is expected to be announced on Wednesday, Sept. 4 on Good Morning America, so fans will just have to wait and see who is going to be competing in the ballroom for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. Season 33 of Dancing With the Stars premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.