Grab your gold medals and glitter bows: The first stars have been announced to hit the dance floor. ABC announced pop star JoJo Siwa and Olympian Suni Lee as the first contestants for the 30th season of Dancing With the Stars, and they’re already making waves. For the first time ever, there will be a same-sex couple competing for the mirrorball trophy. During the Dancing With the Stars TCA panel, executive producer Andrew Llinares revealed that Siwa will be paired with another female dancer for the competition. Upon revealing the news, Siwa said, “I think it’s cool. I think it breaks a wall that’s never been done before. I think it’s really special that I get to share with the world that you can love who you love, but now you can dance with who you want to dance with.†Siwa came out earlier this year through an Instagram Story post of her wearing a “Best Gay Cousin Ever†T-shirt.
Suni Lee won gold for the all-around gymnastics during this year’s Tokyo Olympics and made history as the first Hmong American Olympian to win.
The dancing competition is judged by ballroom experts Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough, who was a former dancer on the show. Hosted by Tyra Banks of Top Model fame, the series will premiere on Monday, September 20, at 8 p.m. ET, but the remaining celebrity contestants will be announced on Good Morning America on September 8. The series has featured a number of newsworthy stars, including Carole Baskin, cast member of everyone’s quarantine binge-watch Tiger King.Â
As Siwa and Lee practice their dance moves for the competition, they probably won’t need to practice continuing to make history.