‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 30 Adds Suni Lee & Jojo Siwa, Will Feature First Same-Sex Couple

Paige Strout August 26, 2021, 4:05 pm

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'Dancing with the Stars' Season 30, ABC, Sunisa — NBC; Dennis Leupold/Nickelodeon

The milestone 30th season of the hit ballroom dancing competition show Dancing with the Stars has revealed its first two celebrity contestants!

ABC announced during their DWTS Television Critics Association (TCA) Panel that Olympic gold medalist Sunisa “Suni” Lee and pop star Jojo Siwa will join the show’s upcoming season. The two will appear on Good Morning America on August 27 and again on September 8, when the remainder of the cast is announced.

During the panel, it was revealed that Siwa, who came out as pansexual in April, will be working with a female pro, as part of the show’s first-ever same-sex pair. (ABC asked what she wanted, and she chose a female partner.) “It breaks a wall that’s never been broken down before,” Siwa said. “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.”

The 18-year-old Lee was the star of the summer at the Tokyo Games, becoming a three-time Olympic medalist, including winning gold in the women’s all-around competition. Having grown up in Minnesota, Lee became the first Hmong-American to compete at the games and will continue her gymnastics journey at Auburn University this fall.

Having risen to fame on Lifetime’s Dance Moms, Siwa has become a global sensation. Known for her high ponytail and colorful hair bows, the singer, actor, and bestselling author was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2020, with her hair bow line having sold over 80 million accessories to date. Her new musical film The J Team will premiere on Paramount+ on September 3, in which she stars and serves as an executive producer. She will also executive produce and serve as the creative director on the upcoming Peacock series Siwa’s Dance Pop Revolution.

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Hosted by Tyra Banks, DWTS sees celebrities take to the dance floor with ballroom dance professionals to win the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy. Scored by judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough, pairs are eliminated each week until the final three dance it out to become the latest DWTS champions.

The series is produced by BBC Studio’s Los Angeles production arm, with Banks and Andrew Llinares as executive producers.

Dancing with the Stars, Season 30 Premiere, Monday, September 20, 8/7c, ABC