JoJo Siwa and her professional dancing partner Jenna Johnson broke new ground when they were paired together in Dancing with the Stars season 30, becoming the first same-sex couple to compete regularly during a season. Because of this huge benchmark in the ABC show's lengthy history, many fans have begun wondering when the dancing competition will feature more same-sex couples, especially two men.
Dancing with the Stars has featured a couple of other same-sex dances on the series, but Siwa and Johnson were the first official duo and they almost won! Ultimately, the pair came in second, becoming runners-up to that year's winners, Iman Hughes and pro Daniella Karagach.
Next we have to wonder if there could come a time when Dancing with the Stars will include a male celebrity alongside a professional male dancer, and according to BBC President of Unscripted TV, Ryan O'Dowd, it's still a possibility.
Asked about the potential for a two-male pairing, O'Dowd told Deadline that it is "something that we're continuing to discuss."
Mark Ballas and Derek Hough's Argentine tango is mentioned from the season 33 finale, with O'Dowd noting that the tango originated in queer spaces, often danced by two men. The show has dabbled in these pairings before, like during season 22 when contestants Nyle DiMarco and Jodie Sweetin briefly swapped partners, leading to brief dances between Keo Motsepe and DiMarco, and Sweetin and Peta Murgatroyd.
It's 2025. You would think having some same-sex couples competing regularly on Dancing with the Stars, a show that has been running for 30+ seasons, would be commonplace by this point, but at least O'Dowd didn't fully shut down the idea.
He says that he and the other producers are "constantly looking at ways by which we can push the envelope and produce a show that reflects and represents society as a whole."
We're living in a volatile time both culturally and politically right now, so it's clear why television producers might be hesitant to try something new. But it does feel a little nonsensical when you consider the type of controversial casting choices Dancing with the Stars has made previously, such as bringing on con artist Anna Delvey (who is shown wearing her ankle monitor on the show) or Floyd Mayweather, who had previously pled guilty to to two counts of battery domestic violence.
O'Dowd said they like to try and find people who are part of the "ongoing zeitgeist conversation," and surely having same-sex couples front and center would fulfill that notion, too, right?
Perhaps we'll be in for a surprise in the coming seasons. The dancing competition returns this fall on ABC and Disney+ with new episodes. So far, only wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and influencer Alix Earle have been announced as competitors. Judges Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba will return along with hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro.