Witney Carson picks new DWTS partner after Robert Irwin win
Dancing with the Stars pro Witney Carson revealed on Good Morning America that her Season 35 celebrity partner is Guillermo Rodriguez—not Robert Irwin, her Season 34 Mirrorball co-champion. The Aug. 17 announcement also confirmed Carson is pregnant with her third child and plans to compete while expecting on the ABC ballroom series.
Key Takeaways
- Carson will partner with Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez on Season 35.
- She won last season with Robert Irwin but returns with a new celebrity this fall.
- Carson is about four months pregnant and rejected hiding her bump with costumes.
- Rehearsals are capped at four hours daily until roughly the Quarterfinals.
- Rodriguez pushed back on fan theories predicting an early elimination.
Who is Witney Carson's celebrity partner for DWTS Season 35?
On Monday, Aug. 17, Carson appeared on Good Morning America to name Guillermo Rodriguez as her celebrity partner—the first confirmed pairing for the upcoming season. Rodriguez, a longtime Jimmy Kimmel Live! personality, was among four celebrities announced ahead of the full cast reveal set for Sept. 2 on GMA.
Carson said she was "so stoked" to learn the news. "I think he is so sweet. He's so fun. That's exactly what I need in this season of life that I'm in, just someone who's fun, personable," she told the morning show, according to People.
What happened to Robert Irwin after winning with Witney Carson?
Carson and Robert Irwin took home the Mirrorball Trophy in Season 34, making her a two-time champion after her Season 19 win with Alfonso Ribeiro. Irwin is not returning as her dance partner for Season 35; Carson will instead compete alongside Guillermo Rodriguez when the show returns this fall.
Reflecting on her Season 34 journey with Robert Irwin, Carson told TV Insider that the last four weeks of last season meant her children "didn't see me" because she was working around the clock. That grueling stretch contrasts sharply with today's tighter rehearsal limits heading into Season 35.
How is Witney Carson handling rehearsals while pregnant?
Carson confirmed on GMA that she and husband Carson McAllister are expecting their third child. She said competing while about four months pregnant was "very daunting" and not on her "bingo card," but she refused suggestions to hide her bump with "fringe and rhinestones."
In a Yahoo-sourced interview with TV Insider, Carson explained that couples now get only four hours of studio time per day until a later competition stage—likely the Quarterfinals—when rehearsals become unlimited. "Four hours a day is not enough for what we have to teach, for sure," she said, though Season 35 rehearsals had already begun ahead of the Sept. 15 premiere on ABC and Disney+.
Why did Guillermo Rodriguez respond to early-exit fan theories?
After Carson's pregnancy reveal, some fans speculated producers paired her with Rodriguez because they expected him to be eliminated early, allowing Carson to wrap her season sooner. During Rosie O'Donnell's Aug. 19 guest-hosting stint on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Rodriguez rejected that idea.
"That's not going to happen because I'm trying my best and I'm working hard and I want to go all the way to the finals!" he said, according to reporting cited by IMDb. Rodriguez added that rehearsals have been "very tiring" and that his first dance with Carson will be a cha-cha. For more celebrity breaking news, follow our latest coverage as DWTS rolls out the remaining Season 35 cast.