Jenny McCarthy has spent years around the professional dancers of Dancing With the Stars, but her connection to the ballroom has never translated into a celebrity appearance on the competition. Despite previously revealing that the ABC show invited her to participate multiple times, McCarthy has continued to explain why she does not see herself competing.
During an October 20, 2026, episode of The Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Show, the television personality revisited her long history of trying to learn ballroom dancing. Speaking with former Dancing With the Stars contestant Selma Blair, McCarthy recalled a particularly blunt assessment from judge Derek Hough that summed up her struggles with rhythm and coordination.
Jenny McCarthy Recalls Derek Hough’s Blunt DWTS Dancing Assessment
McCarthy’s latest comments offered a humorous glimpse into her experiences with the Dancing With the Stars professional dancers. Although she has spent considerable time around the cast, she said repeated attempts to teach her ballroom dancing did not produce the results her instructors hoped for.
According to McCarthy, the dancers continued trying to help her for approximately 10 years before Hough finally delivered his verdict.
Recalling the moment, she said:
“Ten years they tried and finally [judge] Derek [Hough] said, ‘You’re the first person I can honestly say there’s no hope for.’”
The remark, as McCarthy recounted it, reflected the difficulty she experienced when trying to learn the basics of ballroom dancing. Her delivery was self-deprecating, presenting the exchange as a funny memory rather than an announcement of any dispute with Hough or the show.
Entertainment Weekly reported that it had contacted a representative for Hough for comment. However, the available report does not establish that Hough independently confirmed McCarthy’s recollection. His words should therefore be understood as part of McCarthy’s account of their interaction, rather than as an independently verified statement from the judge.
The story also does not indicate that Hough or the show’s producers officially rejected McCarthy as a contestant. Instead, it concerns the informal dance lessons she said she received over the years.
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Why Jenny McCarthy Spent Years Around the Dancing With the Stars Cast
McCarthy’s familiarity with the Dancing With the Stars cast began through a family connection.
During her conversation with Blair, she explained that her sister worked as a makeup artist on the ABC competition for many years. McCarthy initially estimated that her sister had worked on the programme for 10 years before correcting herself and acknowledging that the period was longer.
“Longer, 15 years or however long.”
Her sister’s work gave McCarthy regular opportunities to spend time with people associated with the show, particularly at the afterparties held following performances.
McCarthy described those gatherings as occasions when she could socialise with the professional dancers and have fun while they attempted to teach her ballroom moves.
She recalled:
“And so, every show there was an afterparty, and every afterparty, I would attend, and we would have a ball with the dancers. So, every afterparty, we drink, and they teach me how to try to ballroom dance.”
Those repeated encounters became the backdrop for her long-running attempts to improve her dancing. According to McCarthy, the dancers did not give up immediately, continuing to try to teach her over roughly a decade.
Eventually, Hough’s assessment became the punchline to a story about years of effort without the breakthrough McCarthy had hoped for.
Jenny McCarthy Says She Has “Two Left Feet”
McCarthy was not presenting herself as a naturally gifted dancer during the interview. Instead, she openly acknowledged that rhythm and coordination have long been challenges for her.
She described herself as having “two left feet”, a familiar expression for someone who struggles with dancing.
When Blair appeared unconvinced by McCarthy’s description of her abilities, McCarthy offered another explanation.
“I’m a cheerleader.”
She immediately qualified that statement with a more specific description of her skills:
“I’m a stiff-armed cheerleader.”
The exchange added another layer of humour to the conversation, with McCarthy distinguishing between her cheerleading experience and the kind of coordinated movement required for ballroom dancing.
She also explained the central problem she experiences when trying to dance:
“I can’t find the rhythm,”
McCarthy compared her dancing ability with that of her 24-year-old son, Evan, saying that he dances in a similar way.
At another point in the conversation, she referenced Steve Martin’s 1979 comedy The Jerk to describe how she feels when she attempts to dance.
Together, the comments painted a picture of someone who has spent years around accomplished dancers but does not believe she has the natural rhythm needed to follow their lead. Her story also helps explain why the prospect of joining a televised ballroom competition has not appealed to her, even though she previously said she received invitations.
Did Dancing With the Stars Invite Jenny McCarthy to Compete?
McCarthy’s story about Hough has attracted interest partly because she has previously discussed being approached by Dancing With the Stars.
In a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, McCarthy said the programme had repeatedly asked her to participate. Her comments indicated that the opportunity was not a one-time approach.
“They ask me every year, and I just can’t do it,” McCarthy said at the time.
She also discussed her perception of the show’s celebrity casting, explaining that she wanted the programme to follow through on its promises of attracting major celebrities before making a joking reference to the kinds of contestants she believed it had been casting.
Her earlier interview establishes an important distinction: McCarthy said that she had been invited to compete but chose not to accept. It does not suggest that she was rejected by the programme.
Similarly, her latest account of Hough’s remarks concerns her dancing ability, not an official casting decision.
There is no verified indication in the supplied sources that Hough was responsible for McCarthy’s decision to decline the invitations or that his assessment prevented her from appearing on the show.
The two accounts instead offer different perspectives on her relationship with the competition. Her 2012 comments addressed repeated invitations, while her October 2026 interview focused on why she considers herself an unlikely ballroom dancer.
Selma Blair Shares Her Own Dancing With the Stars Experience
McCarthy discussed her dancing difficulties while interviewing Selma Blair, who has a very different history with the programme.
Blair competed on Dancing With the Stars Season 31 in 2022, partnering with professional dancer Sasha Farber. Her participation ultimately ended because of health concerns connected to her multiple sclerosis.
Entertainment Weekly identifies Blair as having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 and notes that she had to leave the competition during Season 31 for health reasons.
The October 20 episode also included a personal note from McCarthy to her guest. According to the interview transcript, McCarthy explained that their conversation had been recorded before recent events involving Blair.
She expressed her support by saying she was sending Blair “nothing but love, compassion, and support.”
The interview consequently brought together two distinct experiences connected to the same television programme. McCarthy has said that she repeatedly declined opportunities to compete, while Blair entered the competition in 2022 before leaving because of health concerns.
Their conversation allowed McCarthy to revisit her own relationship with the show while speaking with someone who had experienced its demands as a contestant.
Derek Hough Returns as a DWTS Judge for Season 35
Hough remains an important figure in McCarthy’s story because he continues to serve on the Dancing With the Stars judging panel.
According to ABC’s official Season 35 announcement, Hough returned as a judge alongside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough returned as co-hosts.
Season 35 premiered with a two-night launch on September 15 and 16, 2026, before moving to its regular Tuesday schedule. ABC’s announcement states that the programme airs on ABC and Disney+, with episodes becoming available on Hulu the following day.
The current season’s celebrity lineup includes 16 contestants:
| Celebrity contestant | Season 35 status |
| Tatyana Ali | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Tyler Cameron | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Giada De Laurentiis | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Jenna Dewan | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Ezra Frech | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Amber Glenn | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Taylor Hanson | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Maura Higgins | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Conner Leavitt | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Ciara Miller | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Sarah Jane Nader | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Jackson Olson | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Guillermo Rodriguez | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Harry Shum Jr. | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Julia Stiles | Part of the celebrity cast |
| Connor Wood | Part of the celebrity cast |
Jenny McCarthy does not appear on the official Season 35 celebrity cast list. ABC’s September 3 announcement identifies the contestants and their professional partners, while Hough is listed among the judges.
There is no verified indication in the supplied sources that McCarthy is preparing to join a future season, either.
Her October comments should therefore be understood as a reflection on her past experiences rather than a casting announcement.
What Jenny McCarthy’s Derek Hough Story Really Means
McCarthy’s recollections bring together several strands of her long-standing connection to Dancing With the Stars.
Her sister’s work as a makeup artist gave her opportunities to attend afterparties and spend time with the show’s professional dancers. During those gatherings, the dancers repeatedly tried to teach her ballroom dancing over a period of roughly 10 years.
According to McCarthy, those attempts eventually led to Hough telling her that there was “no hope” for her as a dancer. Her comments about having “two left feet” and being unable to find the rhythm reinforced her own view of her abilities.
Her previous statements to The Hollywood Reporter also establish that she had said the show invited her to compete multiple times, but that she chose not to participate.
Meanwhile, Blair’s experience on Season 31 and Hough’s continued role as a Season 35 judge provide context for the conversation without changing what McCarthy’s account establishes.
Most importantly, the available information does not support presenting Hough’s remark as an official rejection by the programme. It remains a story McCarthy shared about her own attempts to learn ballroom dancing.
Conclusion
Jenny McCarthy’s latest comments offer a humorous explanation for why she has never competed on Dancing With the Stars, despite previously saying the show invited her repeatedly. After years of informal dance lessons at afterparties, she recalled Derek Hough delivering a blunt assessment of her abilities.
Her account highlights a personal struggle with rhythm rather than a casting controversy. With McCarthy absent from the current Season 35 lineup and no verified announcement of a future appearance, her latest remarks revisit an old connection to the ballroom rather than signal a change in her relationship with the show.
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Source and Research Disclaimer
This article has been prepared based on thorough research of the sources provided below. It reflects the information, statements, interview transcript and official programme announcements available in those materials. Hough’s reported remark is attributed to McCarthy’s recollection, as the supplied reporting does not establish independent confirmation from him. The article does not imply independent verification beyond what the provided sources support.
Sources
- Entertainment Weekly — Jenny McCarthy Says Derek Hough Told Her “There’s No Hope” for Her on DWTS
- The Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Show — Selma Blair Interview Transcript, October 20, 2026
- ABC — Dancing With the Stars 2026 Cast Revealed
- ABC News — Dancing With the Stars Season 35: What to Know About the Cast, Premiere Date and More
- The Hollywood Reporter — 2012 interview with Jenny McCarthy about invitations to compete on Dancing With the Stars.
Featured Image Credit: Gamerscoreblog / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
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