ABC Entertainment announced an overall deal with Emmy(R) Award winner, six-time Mirrorball champion dancer and “Dancing with the Stars” judge Derek Hough. In this role, Hough will host and develop specials and entertainment programming for the network.
“Coming home to ABC and being given the opportunity to develop projects for them that are as much on brand for them as they are for me makes this even that more exciting for me,” said Derek Hough.
“Derek is a creative force not just in the ballroom but also every room he enters,” said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. “He has been part of our ABC family for many years; the energy and dedication he brings to every project is palpable. We value his partnership immensely and look forward to the exciting and imaginative projects to come.”
Last week, Hough joined Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli as a regular judge on “Dancing with the Stars.”
A multitalented entertainer and New York Times bestselling author, Derek Hough started dancing in his hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah, at age 11. Just one year later, he moved to London to live and train with the top dance coaches in the world and attend the prestigious Italia Conti performing arts school where he studied theater, music and dance.
With celebrity partners on “Dancing with the Stars” that included Brooke Burke, Jennie Garth, Ricki Lake, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler, Amber Riley, Amy Purdy and Bindi Irwin, Hough is best known for his innovation and daring choreography on the show. To date, Hough is the winningest professional dancer in the franchise’s history with a total of six wins.
A two-time Emmy Award winner and nine-time Emmy nominee, Hough has also appeared in film, television and stage projects as an actor. He appeared in this year’s “The Disney Family Singalong” specials, and made his feature film debut for director Duane Adler and producer Robert Cort in the 2013 feature film “Make Your Move” and had a recurring role on the ABC series “Nashville.” His stage performances include Radio City Music Hall’s “Spring Spectacular,” co-starring alongside Tony Award(R)-winning Laura Benanti, as well as the critically acclaimed production of “Footloose,” where he starred as the male lead in London’s West End.
In May 2017, Hough joined Jennifer Lopez and Ne-Yo at the judges table for the NBC series “World of Dance”; and in December 2016, Hough starred with Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Martin Short and Harvey Fierstein in NBC’s “Hairspray Live!”
Hough can also add bestselling author to his list of credits. His memoir “Taking the Lead: Lessons from a Life in Motion” hit stands in August 2014 and was rapidly named to the prestigious New York Times Best Seller list during two nonconsecutive time periods.
In 2014, Hough and his sister Julianne teamed for a live stage dance concert “MOVE Live on Tour,” performing in 50 cities around the country; and a year later, they toured again selling out scores of venues on their multicity outing. In 2017, they again performed a sold-out tour of 48 cities around the United States with their show “Move – Beyond – Live on Tour.” In 2019, Hough completed his first solo national tour, “Derek Hough Live: The Tour,” which visited nearly 60 cities around the country.
Next year, fans around the world will head to Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, to catch Hough in “Derek Hough: No Limit.” This highly anticipated residency for Caesars Entertainment at the Flamingo Las Vegas debuts in 2021.
