Jenna Dewan Update (Sept. 2026): She Answers the 'Unfair Advantage' Question Before Her DWTS Debut With Val
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Dances in Janet Jackson's "Doesn't Really Matter" video, her first big professional credit |
| 2006 | Leads the dance film Step Up |
| 2017–2018 | Hosts NBC's World of Dance for two seasons |
| Sept. 2, 2026 | Named to the Dancing with the Stars Season 35 cast on Good Morning America, partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy |
| Sept. 2–3, 2026 | Viewers question whether her training is an unfair edge; she and Val both answer publicly |
| Sept. 15, 2026 | Premiere night one, 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+ |
| Sept. 16, 2026 | Premiere night two, same time |
The gist: Jenna Dewan makes her ballroom debut Tuesday, Sept. 15, with three-time Mirrorball winner Val Chmerkovskiy. The part people keep searching is the argument that started the day she was cast.
Is Jenna Dewan's dance background an unfair advantage?
That was the complaint within hours of the reveal. She has more than 25 years of dance work behind her, and some viewers said a trained dancer doesn't belong in a celebrity competition.
Dewan didn't dodge it. She told E! News she "owns it," then drew the line between her training and what the show asks for: ballroom, she said, is a whole different language.
To Entertainment Weekly she was blunter. Her words were that she does not know how to ballroom dance, and that a big part of the job is unlearning what her body already does.
What did Val Chmerkovskiy say about the criticism?
He posted an Instagram Reel on Sept. 2. His line, as quoted by Us Weekly, was that he can't control how people feel, only how much effort he puts in.
In a separate EW interview he framed it as pressure rather than luck. With great talent comes incredible expectation,
he said, adding that he plans to push her on the things she's never done.
That fits his record. Val has won three Mirrorballs — with Rumer Willis, Laurie Hernandez and Xochitl Gomez — and none of those partners arrived as a trained ballroom dancer.
Is she the only trained dancer in the cast?
No, and this is the detail most of the backlash skipped. Harry Shum Jr., known for Glee and the Step Up sequels, is in the same cast with Jenna Johnson — Val's wife.
Julia Stiles, who carried the 2001 film Save the Last Dance, is paired with Ezra Sosa. So the Chmerkovskiy household has two partners with screen-dance résumés, competing against each other.
👉 Every celebrity and pro is in our Season 35 pairing table, updated when the last partners were confirmed.
When does Jenna Dewan dance first?
Season 35 opens across two nights, Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 15 and 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC with a live stream on Disney+. After that the show moves to its regular Tuesday slot.
ABC hasn't said which night each couple performs. Our premiere time guide has start times by time zone and where to stream the next day.
What should you watch for next?
- Sept. 15–16: her first ballroom routine and first judges' scores from Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
- The scoring gap: whether judges mark trained dancers harder in week one. We'll judge that from the published scores, not from the chatter.
- Val's choreography: he told EW he means to push her into what she has never done, so watch how far the first routine strays from her film style.
Other Season 35 names are getting the same treatment. Tyler Cameron's pairing with a returning pro is laid out in our Tyler Cameron update, and every cast-news post lives on the updates page.
The full week, including Big Brother's double-eviction night and the AGT semifinals, is in Reality TV Next Week. Season-long coverage sits in the DWTS section, and the rest of this fall's premieres are in our fall reality TV guide.
FAQ
Who is Jenna Dewan's partner on Dancing with the Stars? Val Chmerkovskiy, a three-time champion.
Has Jenna Dewan done ballroom before? By her own account, no. Her background is commercial and film dance, and she has hosted dance competitions rather than competed in ballroom.
What time is the DWTS Season 35 premiere? 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Wednesday, Sept. 16, on ABC and Disney+.