Dancing With The Stars professional dancer Lindsay Arnold won’t be returning for season 34 of the reality competition series.
The fan-favorite pro took to TikTok Saturday, Aug. 30 to squash rumors she’ll be making an appearance on the upcoming season.
“Well, it is officially that time of the year that we are talking about Dancing With The Stars again, which is so exciting,” Arnold began her video. “Rumors are swirling and as always, I’m getting a lot of questions on whether or not I will be doing Dancing With The Stars this season.”
“Answer is, no, I will not be doing Dancing with the Stars this next season,” she continued. “My reasons for that haven’t really changed. In fact, if anything, my reasons for not doing the show feel even more relevant than they did in the past.”
Arnold is has two daughters — Sage, 4, and June, 2 — with her husband Samuel Cusick. She explained that it’s currently “better” for her to be at home with her family, but that she’s excited to watch the season and cheer on her younger sister Rylee Arnold, who’s also a professional dancer on the show.
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The former pro also used the video to clear up some misconceptions on how the show’s casting process works, clarifying that she was never officially asked to be on this season to begin with.
“I do want to kind of like clear up a couple things with this whole process. First of all, I am not being asked to come back,” Arnold explained. “The producers are not reaching out to me, and I’m turning them down, saying, ‘No, I don’t want to do it’ like, none of that has happened since the season that I stepped away from the show.”
“Never once have the producers like, been like, ‘Oh, please come back,’ or asked me to come back. If I wanted to come back, at this point, I would definitely need to express that desire to the producers of the show,” she continued “And then it still wouldn’t even be a guaranteed, it would be something where they would decide if they have a spot for me or not.”
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Arnold’s last season was season 30, which aired in 2021, where she was partnered with Bachelor star Matt James. She says given the short notice pros get before the season starts, it would be difficult to uproot her daughters, as her family currently lives in Utah.
That said, she hasn’t completely ruled out doing a season in the future, saying it’s a “possible thing” but a “very big decision.”
Arnold is a four-time DWTS finalist and one-time winner, taking home the coveted Mirrorball Trophy with Jordan Fisher in season 25.
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