JoJo Siwa and Suni Lee are breaking out their dancing shoes. The YouTube star and the Olympian have officially signed on to compete in season 30 of Dancing with the Stars.
ABC announced the exciting news on Thursday while attending a gathering at the Television Critics Association. The Dance Moms alum and the gymnast are the first contestants to join the series for the upcoming installment and will be competing in front of judges Len Goodman, Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
In addition to the casting news, the network also revealed that Siwa will be part of the first same-sex pair in the history of the show. Yup—rather than be matched with a male professional dancer, the 18-year-old will compete with a female partner.
“It’s really special that not only now do I get to share with the world that you get to love who you want to love, but also you get a dance with whom you want to dance,” Siwa said in a statement per Variety. “There’s a lot of barriers that we’re going to have to break through—who leads, how do you dress, what shoes do you wear? But I think it’s all something that I’m looking forward to. It’s going to be tricky, but it’s going to give so much to people out there—people of the LGBTQ community, people who feel just a little different. It’s going to give them a sense of happiness.”
Siwa also reflected on the milestone moment in a video on social media, saying, “To be dancing with a girl, I think it's so cool. It's gonna be the best ever. I can't wait to just dance every single week. I can't wait to meet my partner.”
No word on who else ABC is eyeing to join the cast. But we already know season 30 is going to be one for the books.
Welcome to the stage, you two.
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