Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars is officially here! The 2026 season features two new faces in the cast of pro dancers: Adele Zaikman, winner of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, who was eliminated in the first episode, and Hailey Bills, a former troupe member who will perform during Night 2 of the premiere on September 16.
Bills joined the Dancing With the Stars cast in 2025 as a member of the troupe, but was upgraded to pro status for Season 35. She is partnered with Sarah Jane Nader in the second same-sex pairing of the show’s history (Jenna Johnson and JoJo Siwa were previously paired up in Season 30).
The pro dancer revealed to People that DWTS producer Deena Katz approached her during the DWTS tour last spring “and asked me if I’d be willing to dance with a female, and I was like, ‘Double whammy.’ And of course, obviously I’m down to dance with a female.”
Scroll down to learn more about Bills, including her dance background and how she’s related to fellow pro Jenna Johnson!
Who is Hailey Bills?
Fans of Dancing With the Stars may recognize Bills if they watched Dancing With the Stars: Juniors back in 2018. Bills was partnered with Tripp Johnston Palin and mentored by Johnson. However, they were the first team eliminated.
“When I figured out [Johnson] was my mentor, I was just so excited because I can just act normal in front of her,” Bills told Access Hollywood. “The first time I saw her, I didn’t have to meet her and everything.”
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Now, Bills is a Pro Assistant for Ovation Dance, Derek Hough and Julianne Hough‘s dance competition. She was previously a student at Brigham Young University, where she was a member of the dance team and had an expected graduation date of 2028. However, she appears to have put school on hold amid her DWTS success.
Bills has won Mini Best Dancer and Teen Best Dancer at The Dance Awards and has been dancing since she was 6 years old.
How old is Hailey Bills?
During her first season on DWTS as a troupe member, Bills was 19 years old. She was born on May 18, 2006, and turned 20 ahead of Season 35.
How is Hailey Bills related to Jenna Johnson?
Johnson’s sister, Stacy, is Bills’ mother, which is how Johnson is her aunt. Hailey is Stacy’s oldest child. Per Stacy’s recent Instagram post, she has four other children: Gracie, Kade, and Jake and Luke.
“To the one who made me a mom…Thank you for being my best friend, for teaching me so much about myself, for being amazing at everything you do and allowing me to be along for the ride,” Stacy wrote on Instagram in honor of her daughter’s 19th birthday. “I adore you. My biggest compliment is when someone tells me that I remind them of her. Happiest Birthday!!!”
Is Hailey Bills in a relationship?
Bills does not appear to be in a relationship. She has not publicly discussed her past relationship history or sexuality, although she was briefly romantically linked to Robert Irwin during DWTS Season 34.
The rumors began after fans noticed how excited Bills seemed for Irwin after one of his dances. Then, celebrity gossip site DeuxMoi posted a blind item that seemingly alluded to a romance between the pair, and Irwin began posting content with Bills and the other troupe members on social media.
However, Irwin has since moved back to Australia since his time on DWTS came to an end, and nothing seems to have actually stemmed from these rumors.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 35 Premiere, Night 2, Wednesday, September 16, 8/7c, ABC