“Dancing With the Stars ”announces beloved late-night personality as newest competitor
“Dancing With the Stars ”announces beloved late-night personality as newest competitor
Ryan ColemanThu, June 18, 2026 at 3:23 AM UTC
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The cast of 'Dancing with the Stars' on 'Wicked Night' in season 34Credit: Eric McCandless/Disney via GettyKey Points -
Dancing With the Stars has announced the fourth competitor set to appear on the upcoming 35th season.
Guillermo Rodriguez, Jimmy Kimmel's long-time late-night sidekick on Jimmy Kimmel Live, is joining the cast.
The comedian and former security guard joins Summer House star Ciara Miller, The Traitors breakout Maura Higgins, and Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson on season 35.
Dancing With the Starshas found its latest competitor. From the Hamptons, to the Scottish Highlands, to the baseball diamond, and now the late-night TV dial, season 35 is heating up.
Jimmy Kimmel Livemainstay Guillermo Rodriguez is joining the cast of the forthcoming season of the reality competition series, ABC announced on Wednesday. Coming off a cutthroat season that drew the most viewers back to the program in a decade, the competition coming this fall is already gearing up to be one for the books.
Guillermo Rodriguez in Beverly Hills in 2026Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty
Rodriguez is the fourth season 35 cast member announced since April, when ABC named two of the most prominent reality stars of the moment as the season's inaugural picks: Maura Higgins, who nearly nabbed the crown on The Traitors season 4, and Ciara Miller, who recently found herself at the center of reality's biggest scandal of 2026 so far on Summer House.
The following month, Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson was announced as the third addition to the cast. Olson is the star player of the Georgia-based exhibition baseball team and has since forayed into content creation as an influencer with a million-plus followers on social media.
Rodriguez comes to the ballroom from a decidedly different background. Beginning his time on the Jimmy Kimmel Live lot as a parking lot security guard, the comedian was eventually plucked from the crew and planted on the couch, where he's remained next to host Jimmy Kimmel for 23 years.
As Kimmel's official "sidekick," Rodriguez joins in on interviews, banters with Kimmel through nightly episodes, and hosts the recurring segment "Guillermo's Hollywood Roundup," where he conducts his own conversations with celebrity guests. That segment now regularly brings Rodriguez to the Oscars red carpet for some boots-on-the-ground correspondent work.
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"A resident of California and a U.S. citizen since 2005, Guillermo counts watching soccer, eating Mexican food, spending time with family and being involved with his son's sports among his favorite things," Wednesday's announcement reads.
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Season 35 does not yet have a premiere date, and full cast of celebrity contestants and pro partners will be announced on Sept. 2's episode of Good Morning America.
Maura Higgins; Ciara Miller; Jackson OlsonCredit: Michael Loccisano/Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty; Kevin Mazur/Kevin MazurGetty
If that sounds too far off, there's no need to fret. ABS has more DWTS goodness in store when the newfangled spinoff Dancing With the Stars: The Next Protakes viewers inside the search for the latest addition to the show's company of professional dancers. That series, hosted by season 34 winner Robert Irwin, premieres on July 13.
Dancing with the Stars season 35 will simulcast live this fall across ABC and Disney+, and stream next day on Hulu.
on Entertainment Weekly
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