‘Dancing With the Stars’ Alum Shares Update After Surgery

Heavy/Getty "Dancing With the Stars"

Music star and “Dancing With the Stars” alum AJ McLean is keeping his fans updated after having surgery for a hernia.

The Backstreet Boys member first shared that he was having hernia surgery on April 3, 2023, sharing an image from the hospital on Instagram alongside the caption, “Well it’s surgery time. Bye bye hernia! Wish me luck.”

He updated fans on Instagram a day later, writing, “Well post op I’m in a s*** ton of pain but hopefully they fixed me up right. Lots of bed rest and movies in my future. Night all. Thanks for the prayers I appreciate them all.”

Fans immediately took to the comment section to wish McLean well.

“Feel better brother!” one person wrote. “I went through the exact same thing. It sucks for a sec, but it will make golf so much better very soon lol. Stick to the rest plan & don’t sleep laying flat the first few nights.”

Another person commented, “Rest up easy AJ. Get well.”

McLean Showed Off a Body Transformation in September 2022

McLean has been open about his health journey on Instagram. He shared a transformation photo on his feed in September 2022.

“Thought I’d do a little throwback Thursday vibes,” he wrote in the caption. “Found the pic on the left from a year ago on vacation and wow it’s amazing what a little dedication and setting goals can do for a person. The journey is far from over though. This is just the beginning.”

McLean was on “Dancing With the Stars” season 29 where he was partnered with Cheryl Burke, and the two bonded over their sobriety journey. During a December 2020 episode of their “Pretty Messed Up” podcast, McLean shared that he was celebrating one year of sobriety.

“As long as I’m keeping my side of the street clean, I can’t worry about keeping your side of the street clean,” McLean shared on the podcast. “And everything actually worked itself out. I feel much better. I was hiding it from my wife, or at least trying to, my bandmates and everybody else.”

McLean & His Wife Recently Separated

McLean and his wife, Rochelle DeAnna McLean, announced that they are separated, as first reported by TMZ.

“Marriage is hard, but worth it,” the couple told the outlet. “We have mutually decided to separate temporarily to work on ourselves, and our marriage with the hope of building a stronger future.”

They added, “The plan is to come back together and continue to nurture our love for one another, and our family. We ask for respect and privacy at this time. Separation is hard enough without the commentary, please be kind and remember there are children involved.”

AJ McLean and Rochelle DeAnna McLean have two children together, Elliot, 10, and Lyric, who is 6. Elliot changed her name from Ava to Elliot in 2022.

The couple got engaged in 2009 and got married in 2011 in a goth-themed wedding. They later reenacted their wedding as part of AJ’s music video for his song, “Boy and a Man.”

“Dancing With the Stars” is set to return in the fall of 2023 on Disney+.