Heavy/ABC/Getty A DWTS pro is not returning for season 32.
With season 32 of “Dancing With the Stars” just around the corner, the new cast is starting to take shape.
The network has officially confirmed that “Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix and “Bachelorette” lead Charity Lawson will both be competing for the Mirrorball Trophy. And while we may have to wait a few more weeks to hear which pros will be back in the ballroom, we can now confirm that Lindsay Arnold will not be among them.
On August 24, 2023, Arnold took to TikTok to share that she’s made the decision not to return for season 32 after taking season 31 off to stay in Utah with her family. Her decision to sit out season 32 was made official three months after she gave birth to her second child.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lindsay Arnold Says She Will Have a Special Connection to Season 32
After weeks of speculation from fans wondering if Arnold would return to “Dancing With the Stars,” she has confirmed that she’s taking another season off.
During a “Get Ready With Me” video, Arnold explained that her husband, Sam Cusick, works in Utah and can’t move to California with her and the kids. She said that she has “no regrets” sitting out of season 31 — and she’s doing the same for season 32.
“I’ve been thinking long and hard,” Arnold said. “Ultimately, this season is not going to work out for me and my family,” she continued. “I know that’s not the answer that probably some of you want to hear, but, at the end of the day, it’s what is best for me and my family,” she added.
Arnold reassured fans that she isn’t retiring for good and she may decide to do the show in the future, but, for now, she needs to take this extended break.
Toward the end of her video, Arnold teased “maybe having some fun connections to this season.” Fans on Reddit are already guessing what that might be and many think that Arnold’s younger sister, Rylee, who is also a professional dancer, will join season 32 in some capacity.
Lindsay Arnold Didn’t Compete on Season 32
Before getting pregnant with her second child, Arnold shared a post on Instagram announcing that she wouldn’t be competing on season 31.
“You all know that family is the most important thing to me and doing what is best for my daughter is always going to be at the top of my list! As many of you know my family and I live in UT and in order to do DWTS I have to move myself and my daughter Sage out to LA and leave behind my husband Sam who works full time here in Utah. Logistically there is SO much involved with making this happen and there is a lot of sacrifice that has to be made that unfortunately just did not feel right for us this time around,” she wrote.
In her August 2023 TikTok, Arnold said that she and Cusick were actively trying to conceive their second child at that time and they found out that they were pregnant about three weeks later.
Baby June was born in May 2023 and joins big sister Sage to make the Cusicks a family of four.
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