Here we go! The Dancing With the Stars 2021 cast has officially been announced, and we couldn’t be more excited for season 30 of the hit competition series. This year’s list of contestants kicked off with two powerhouse teens: Olympic gymnast Sunisa “Suni” Lee and singer JoJo Siwa.
On August 26, ABC announced the 18-year-olds would be competing for the mirrorball trophy during the show’s Television Critics Association panel. The girls will be the first of 15 stars to go head to head on primetime TV this fall. Plus, JoJo will be making DTWS history by partnering with a woman, which has never been done in the show’s 16-year run thus far.
Suni just came off an incredible showing at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Following her bronze medal win on the uneven bars (as well as a silver medal with Team USA and a gold medal in the all-around competition), she revealed she was “really proud” of herself despite the “pressure” she felt after teammate Simone Biles withdrew from the majority of the Games. “There were so many times in my bar routine where I could have just [given] up and jumped off, but I didn’t, and now, I have a bronze medal,” she explained at the time. “I thought I was done.”
Suni added, “This medal probably means more to be than the all-around gold medal did, just because bars is my thing.”
She also revealed her plan to “stay off social media for a little bit,” including Twitter, and even claimed she was going to delete the app. “I’ll probably cool down a little bit and just focus on what I need to do especially because we’re coming to the end. I want to just do the best I can and end it off good,” she said following her win. “I’m probably going to delete Twitter. Instagram is not as bad because I can’t really see what people say, but [on] Twitter, it’s just so easy to see everything. So, I’m probably going to have to end up deleting that.”
As for JoJo — who has a dancing background and got her start on the popular reality series Dance Moms — she has been living her best life since she came out in January 2021. In fact, her family has been incredibly supportive.
“My parents have known. My mom said she’s known for the last two years,” JoJo revealed during an Instagram Live. “She’s like, ‘I just know with you!’ Around two years ago, she was like, ‘I don’t think you only like boys, that’s totally OK.’ They’ve always been so everything … My family is awesome.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see who will be joining the season 30 cast of DWTS!