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DWTS’ Jenna Dewan Shares Why She Wasn't "Bitter" About Val Chmerkovskiy’s Suspension
Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy were ready to take their dances a step up in the ballroom.
Nearly a week after her and her pro partner were eliminated on Dancing With the Stars, the Rookie actress shared insight into the “really great numbers” she and Chmerkovskiy’s had planned for the semi-finals and beyond.
“We were starting next week's routine, which was going to be a really beautiful foxtrot,” Dewan exclusively told E! News’ Erin Lim Rhodes at the 2026 Baby2Baby Gala presented by Paul Mitchell Nov. 14, “which I was really excited about, and a salsa.”
The Step Up star—mom to Everly, 13, with ex Channing Tatum as well as Callum, 6, and Rhiannon, 2, with fiancé Steve Kazee—added that the Latin dance “was going to be fierce and absolutely insane.”
But they weren’t going to stop there. As Dewan revealed, she and Chmerkovskiy were already also planning their freestyle routine for if they made it into the finals.
As the 45-year-old teased, the performance “was obviously going to be full out and fun.”
But Dewan shared that she’s open to finding a way for fans to get the chance to see the freestyle dance, pointing to how season 34 pairing Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas revealed their freestyle routine on the Call Her Daddy podcast after their elimination.
“What was beautiful about Whitney and Mark is they really paved the way,” Dewan shared. “Listen, I never say never. Maybe we can put it out there into the world in our own way you never know.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
And although the mom of three is “sad” that her official time in the DWTS ballroom came to an end, she’s looking back at the experience with gratitude.
“I always keep coming back to the good of this whole journey, and I got to share it with my family, Steve and my kids, even Evie had never seen me dance live that she remembered.”
Disney/Frank Micelotta
“So that experience was really beautiful to be able to end a dance and look out and see them happy and cheering for me and excited,” she continued, “and just to be in my mid-40s with my kids and be able to be like, ‘I can still do it and like there are so many good feelings that I take from it.”
As Dancing With the Stars gets ready to tango into the final two episodes, keep reading for a closer look at the cast of season 35…
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa
The 10 Things I Hate About You star had her last dance with her pro partner during Nov. 2's Disney Night.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Giada De Laurentiis & Alan Bersten
The celebrity chef couldn't cha-cha-chop away the competition and was eliminated during the Sept. 22 episode.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson
What did you miss on Glee? The actor taking his musical talents to the dance floor.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Taylor Hanson & Britt Stewart
Sadly, the former '90s teen heartthrob did not MMMBop his way to the top of the leaderboard on season 35. He and his pro partner were axed from the competition on Sept. 29.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actress will be bringing her fresh moves to the dance floor.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy
Twenty years after starring in Step Up, the dancer stepped up—and out—when she got cut from the competition in a shocking Nov. 10 elimination.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov
The 2026 Olympic figure skater will take her skills from the ice to the ballroom.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach
The Team USA Paralympic track and field athlete will show off his athleticism on DWTS.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Sarah Jane Nader & Hailey Bills
Though her sister Brooks Nader was the fifth star to be eliminated on season 33, the Love Thy Nader star said goodbye to the competition after her debut episode on Sept. 16.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold
The comedian, also known as Fibula on social media, is ready to earn more applause on DWTS.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Conner Leavitt & Adele Zaikman
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star followed his wife Whitney Leavitt's footsteps after her season 34 appearance, but he bid farwell to the season 35 competition during the Sept. 15 premiere.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess
Though the Bachelor Nation star traded in roses for rumbas, he was sent home on Oct. 27 in a double elimination.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Jackson Olson & Emma Slater
The Savannah Bananas baseball player stepped up to the plate, but struck out on Oct. 27 in a double elimination.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! star was ready to learn some new moves, but his time on DWTS was cut short on Oct. 13.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Ciara Miller & Brandon Armstrong
Even though Summer House star had fans screaming "bravo," she was eliminated from the competition on Oct. 6.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas
The Love Island U.K. alum is hoping her love for DWTS doesn't betray her as she manifested this experience.
"I have a vision board and I redo it every year," she told E! News in May. "This year is the first year that I stayed at home by myself on New Year's Eve. I did not go out at all. I made myself a bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine and I redid my vision board for the year. Dancing With the Stars was already on it from the year before. However, I added five more Dancing With the Stars on the board."
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