Heavy/Getty Derek Hough was nominated for his 13th Emmy Award.
A judge and former professional dancer from “Dancing with the Stars” just received another Emmy Awards nomination, and DWTS fans are thrilled by the news. Derek Hough has been nominated before, and the Emmy Awards site details he has won three already. Could a fourth statue soon be his as well?
Here’s what you need to know:
Derek Hough Was Nominated for His Choreography to ‘Higher’
The nominations for the 2023 Emmy Awards were released on July 12, and Variety shared the details. Hough’s nomination came in the category for outstanding choreography for variety or reality programming, and his was the only one for “Dancing with the Stars.” The other four nominees came from “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration,” which was nominated for two numbers, “Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl,” and “Savage X Fenty Show.”
The piece that scored Hough the nomination was the choreography he did to accompany Michael Buble’s performance of his song “Higher.” Hough’s fiancee, and former “Dancing with the Stars” troupe member, Hayley Erbert, performed with him, as did many of the show’s professional dancers.
The Emmy Awards nomination for his work on the “Higher” piece is his 13th. Hough previously won an Emmy in 2021 for a “Dancing with the Stars” piece, as well as in 2015. His first win was in 2013, again for “Dancing with the Stars.” As Deadline noted, this nomination set a new record.
Previously, Hough was tied with legendary choreographer Debbie Allen, as they both had received 12 Emmy Award nominations throughout the course of their career. Now that Hough has a 13th nomination, he holds that top spot alone.
DWTS Fans & Colleagues Gushed Over Hough
After the nominations emerged, Buble was one of the first to congratulate Hough. He shared the video of the piece via his Twitter page and gushed, “Huge congratulations to my friend @derekhough on his THIRTEENTH Emmy Nomination!! Your incredible choreography for ‘Higher’ on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is so deserving of this honour. You are an unbelievable talent. Love you buddy!”
Hough shared a video of the performance on his personal Instagram page and voiced his gratitude for the nomination. “EMMY NOMINATED- Wow! Truly humbled and beyond grateful for this incredible honor,” he shared in the caption. The “Dancing with the Stars” entertainer then teased, “Come see it live and in person as part of my LIVE TOUR ‘Symphony Of Dance’ in a city near you this FALL.”
Fans and Hough’s “Dancing with the Stars” colleagues gushed over him and his nomination in the comments section of his post.
“Congrats! I’m sorry but HAYLEY IN THIS @hayley.erbert 😍😍😍😍🔥🔥🔥🔥,” raved Witney Carson.
“YASSSSS @derekhough!!! U KNOW u turned it out on this. And I am SO PROUD OF UUUU!!!!!!! Congrats on the nom! The legs are mighty Crispy!” gushed former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Shangela.
Other “Dancing with the Stars” veterans like Danica McKellar, Sasha Farber, Jennie Garth, Peta Murgatroyd, Daniel Durant, Kaitlyn Bristowe, Chrishell Stause, and Artem Chigvintsev added their love and support for Hough’s nomination too.
A fan commented, “This was and still is the BEST performance ever seen on tv!! The song, the singer, the choreography, the dancers… PERFECTION!!!!!!”
“This is my favourite routine you choreographed for DWTS and you deserve the honor of nomination. (And I think it deserves to WIN!),” concurred another.