Lindsay Arnold is shedding light on her future within the Dancing With the Stars franchise.
Arnold, 30, revealed in a recent TikTok video that she won’t be paired up with a celebrity when the show returns for its 33rd season this fall. The ballroom pro said her potential return to DWTS is the topic fans ask about the most, especially when a new season is on the horizon.
“As many of you know, I was on Dancing With the Stars for close to 10 years,” she began. “I stepped away from the show two seasons ago, and when I stepped away, I wasn’t like, ‘I’m done forever.’ It was just like, ‘This is what works for my life and we’ll just take it one season at a time.'”
Arnold acknowledged that she “never said” she wouldn’t go back for another season, so she understands why fans are so curious. She further noted that the addition of her sister Rylee Arnold as a pro during season 32 puts even more of a spotlight on her own decision to return.
“That question — ‘Are you going back to Dancing With the Stars?’ — is so much more complex than just, like, me deciding whether or not I wanna do it,” she explained while breaking down the “logistics” of casting. “I feel like some of you might know this, but some of you might not, that when it comes to the pros on Dancing With the Stars, you are never, ever guaranteed to be on the show. Ever.”
Lindsay said that “every single season” she competed on the show, she “had to wait” to hear about whether she’d be back in the ballroom. “Even though I was under contract, the contract doesn’t guarantee you a job every season,” she continued. “But you do need to be available to do it when you’re under contract and you can’t do other shows.”
While pros who’ve been around longer might feel “more confident” about being asked back, their futures are still up in the air. “There have been many times on the show where a very long standing pro who’s been on for a long time doesn’t get picked up … so you really, like, never know,” she said.
Had she wanted to be involved in season 33, Lindsay explained that she would’ve had to express interest to the producers before the “waiting game” really began. “It’s not as simple as just me being like, ‘I wanna be on the show!'” she added.
Living outside of Los Angeles also adds to the decision. “It’s not like I can start making preparations to move … because everything is very last-minute,” said Lindsay, who lives in Utah with her husband and two daughters.
Taking all that into consideration, Lindsay told her followers that she did not end up expressing interest in returning for season 33. “No conversations have really gone on,” she added. “It’s not really something that’s been in the cards for me at this time in my life.”
After apologizing for possibly letting down some fans who hoped to see her back on their TVs, Lindsay did hint at potentially hitting the ballroom floor again someday. “Never say never,” she said. “But I will say, it’s been so fun to be able to watch and support my sister Rylee. It feels like this is just so meant to be … I just love the way things are going.”
Lindsay made her DWTS debut during season 16 in 2013. She won a mirrorball trophy with her season 25 partner, Jordan Fisher, in 2017 and last competed with Bachelor alum Matt James on season 30 in 2021.
Season 33 of Dancing With the Stars — which will feature Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik — premieres on ABC and Disney+ September 17.
