Every ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Who Has Left and Why

Credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA; John Photography/Shutterstock

Every 'Dancing With the Stars' Pro Who Has Left and Why

Dancing With the Stars has found plenty of success since its debut in 2005. Over the years, the ABC dancing competition has launched the careers of many new pros and has said goodbye to a few OGs along the way. Julianne Hough, who competed from seasons 4 to season 8, announced in 2009 that she was leaving to pursue other interests. Hough went on to kickstart her career as an actress — but didn’t rule out a DWTS comeback. “Never say never because you never know what one day will be from the next,” Hough exclusively told Us Weekly in August 2019. “But I owe my career to that show! I was 18 and they brought me back in two different ways. I was a dancer, I was a judge and I’m so happy for everything that’s going on there.” Hough later returned as a judge and in 2023 she confirmed her newest role as cohost of DWTS. Scroll down to see all the DWTS pros that didn't return — and those that have — over the years:

Credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA; John Photography/Shutterstock

Every 'Dancing With the Stars' Pro Who Has Left and Why

Dancing With the Stars has found plenty of success since its debut in 2005. Over the years, the ABC dancing competition has launched the careers of many new pros and has said goodbye to a few OGs along the way. Julianne Hough, who competed from seasons 4 to season 8, announced in 2009 that she was leaving to pursue other interests. Hough went on to kickstart her career as an actress — but didn’t rule out a DWTS comeback. “Never say never because you never know what one day will be from the next,” Hough exclusively told Us Weekly in August 2019. “But I owe my career to that show! I was 18 and they brought me back in two different ways. I was a dancer, I was a judge and I’m so happy for everything that’s going on there.” Hough later returned as a judge and in 2023 she confirmed her newest role as cohost of DWTS. Scroll down to see all the DWTS pros that didn't return — and those that have — over the years:

Credit: Sipa/Shutterstock

Alec Mazo

Appeared: Season 1, Season 4, Season 5, Season 7 and Season 9

Reason for Exit: Mazo went on to earn an MBA from Stanford University and has since focused on being a CEO of the Genesis Dance Sport studio.

Credit: Jen Lowery/Startraks

Charlotte Jørgensen

Appeared: Season 1

Reason for Exit: Jørgensen moved on to become a ballroom trainer and has started traveling for coaching.

Credit: Sipa/Shutterstock

Ashly DelGrosso

Appeared: Seasons 1-3 and Season 10

Reason for Exit: DelGrosso announced that she would not return for season 5 because she was expecting her first child with husband Mike Costa.

Credit: Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock

Jonathan Roberts

Appeared: Season 1, Season 2, Seasons 4-6 and Seasons 8-9

Reason for Exit: Roberts did not reveal why he was leaving the show.

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

Edyta Śliwińska

Appeared: Seasons 1-10 and Season 22

Reason for Exit: Śliwińska left the ABC series after "a major disagreement" with the producers. "The producers' vision of what they wanted my career to be did not meet my expectations," she told TMZ in 2010. "They wanted my career to be the show. I can't be a dancer my whole life."

Credit: Blair Raughley/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Louis Van Amstel

Appeared: Seasons 1-3, Season 6, Seasons 9-12, Season 15 and Season 21

Reason for Exit: The professional dancer went on to run a dance fitness program and even reviewed DWTS as a fan.

Credit: Rob Latour/Shutterstock

Anna Trebunskaya

Appeared: Season 2, Seasons 5-6, Seasons 9-15 and Season 21

Reason for Exit: Trebunskaya left after season 15 to focus on her personal life following her divorce from Jonathan Roberts.

Credit: Mjt/Admedia/Sipa/Shutterstock

Tony Dovolani

Appeared: Seasons 2-22

Reason for Exit: Dovolani explained that there wasn't one specific reason for his decision to move on, except that he felt it was time. “When I decided to quit nothing major happened, it was just a build up of things where I just said, ‘I didn’t sign up for this,'” he shared during an interview with Hollywood Life in January 2020.

Credit: Kathy Hutchins/Newscom/MEGA

Nick Kosovich

Appeared: Seasons 2-3

Reason for Exit: Kosovich left to become an event organizer and later started traveling as a consultant for several dance organizations.

Credit: Devan/INFGoff

Andrea Hale

Appeared: Season 2

Reason for Exit: Hale transitioned into teaching dance in Utah at local studies.

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

Karina Smirnoff

Appeared: Seasons 3-9, Seasons 11-19 and Seasons 21-22

Reason for Exit: Smirnoff wrote on Instagram in 2015 that she was leaving to "focus my energies on some other exciting endeavors including adding author to my resume."

Credit: AFF-USA/Shutterstock

Kym Johnson

Appeared: Seasons 3-9, Seasons 11-16, Season 20 and Season 24

Reason for Exit: In January 2018, Johnson announced that she was expecting twins which led to her decision not to return to the ABC show. "I'd love to go back and be a part of the show somehow, whether it is judging or doing something," she told E! News at the time.

Credit: Kathy Hutchins/Newscom/MEGA

Jesse DeSoto

Appeared: Season 3

Reason for Exit: DeSoto moved on to work in real estate development and co-owning a Fred Astaire Dance Studio.

Credit: F. Sadou/AdMedia Newscom/Mega

Elena Grinenko

Appeared: Seasons 3-4

Reason for Exit: Grinenko has shifted her focus to hosting Dance Talk TV and teaching online dance classes.

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

Julianne Hough

Appeared: Seasons 4-8

Reason for Exit: Hough admitted that she wanted to work on other projects. "It's because I really, really want to focus on the music and, you know, kind of be taken seriously a little bit," Hough explained to Ryan Seacrest in 2009.

She returned in 2023 as the cohost of season 32 alongside Alfonso Ribeiro.

Credit: Piers Allardyce/Shutterstock (

Brian Fortuna

Appeared: Season 4

Reason for Exit: Fortuna ventured into the theatre and acting scene.

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Derek Hough

Appeared: Seasons 5-11, Seasons 13-21 and Season 23

Reason for Exit: In November 2016, Derek revealed that he wasn't sure whether he was coming back because he had "a few projects" coming up. "I didn't think I was going to come back to the show a couple times now and ended up coming back. That show will always be my family," he told TV Guide, before joining World of Dance as a judge.

He returned to DWTS for season 29 for his first season as a full-time judge.

Credit: Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Mark Ballas

Appeared: Seasons 5-22, Season 25, Season 31

Reason for Exit: Ballas claimed in April 2018 that he didn't have plans to return. Four years later, he won season 31 with partner Charli D'Amelio. Ballas retired once more in March 2023. 

"I've done 20 seasons now. I started this journey when I was 21, 22 and honestly being able to dance and perform for you fans — you guys are the best fans. ... Thank you guys for a lifetime of memories. I appreciate it. I'm not saying this is the end. This is just the last time I'll be dancing with a partner," he said during a live DWTS tour performance.

Credit: Stewart Cook/Shutterstock

Fabian Sanchez

Appeared: Season 6

Reason for Exit: Sanchez has focused on his Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Alabama.

Credit: INF/INSTAR

Lacey Schwimmer

Appeared: Seasons 7-9, Seasons 11-13

Reason for Exit: Schwimmer announced her exit in 2011 to focus on other projects."There are a lot of things going on in my life that I kind of need [to] step back and focus," she detailed to SheKnows at the time. "I'm trying to partition my time."

Credit: Tony DiMaio/Startraks

Corky Ballas

Appeared: Season 7 and Season 11

Reason for Exit: Since leaving the show, Ballas has continued to focus on teaching dance.  

Credit: Tony DiMaio/iPhoto Newscom/MEGA

Inna Brayer

Appeared: Season 7

Reason for Exit: Brayer moved on from DWTS and went on to open two New York dance schools.

Credit: Paul A Hebert/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Chelsie Hightower

Appeared: Seasons 8-12 and Seasons 14-15

Reason for Exit: Hightower left after season 15 and later reflected on how her anxiety made it "hard to stay motivated and push through the pressure of dancing on national TV."

"After my five-year run on DWTS, I finally moved home and started seeing a therapist and getting the help I needed to manage those feelings," she revealed to Dance Spirit in January 2019.

Credit: Rob Latour/Shutterstock

Dmitry Chaplin

Appeared: Seasons 8-9 and Season 12

Reason for Exit: Chaplin went on to compete on the Ukrainian version of Dancing With the Stars after his departure.

Credit: Andres Otero/WENN Newscom/MEGA

Anna Demidova

Appeared: Season 9

Reason for Exit: Demidova returned to dance competitions and later took up modeling and acting.

Credit: Ryan Miller/Shutterstock

Damian Whitewood

Appeared: Season 10

Reason for Exit: Whitewood moved on to other dancing opportunities, including an appearance on the Israeli version of Dancing With the Stars.

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

Tristan MacManus

Appeared: Season 13-17

Reason for Exit: After his departure, MacManus admitted that DWTS was a little too structured for him. “I'm grateful for the chances I have had on TV, but I didn't enjoy doing those show and that's why I stepped away from them,” he told the Independent in September 2017.

Credit: Sthanlee B. Mirador/Newscom/MEGA

Tyne Stecklein

Appeared: Season 17

Reason for Exit: Stecklein didn't publicly comment on her departure.

Credit: Ryan Miller/Shutterstock

Henry Byalikov

Appeared: Season 18

Reason for Exit: Byalikov left to pursue a career on Broadway.

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

Allison Holker

Appeared: Seasons 19-21 and Season 23

Reason for Exit: Holker revealed that she wouldn't be returning after the season 24 lineup was announced. "Hey guys, I wanted to be the first to reach out to all my family, friends and fans to say that I will not be returning to DWTS this season," she wrote on Instagram at the time. "I truly adore my DWTS family, It's all love and I'm so excited for all of the competitors who are participating this season."

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Appeared: Seasons 2-5, Seasons 7-15, Season 18 and Seasons 23-25

Reason for Exit: Following his 2018 departure, Chmerkovskiy shared that he was looking forward to supporting the show from the sidelines. “I’m excited about all the opportunities. I keep saying the platform has been amazing. It’s great to see new faces especially representing ballroom dance,” he told Us in March 2020. “We’ve had an incredible wave of new people that are now representing the same way, and probably better.”

Credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA

Keo Motsepe

Appeared: Seasons 19-22, Seasons 24-27 and Season 29

Reason for Exit: In September 2021, Motsepe exclusively told Us that he was excited for "some exciting opportunities in the works."

Credit: John Photography/Shutterstock

Peta Murgatroyd

Appeared: Seasons 13-20, Season 22, Seasons 24-25 and Seasons 28-29

Reason for Exit: "As many of you know, after 10 years with @dancingabc, I will not be returning for Season 30," she wrote on Instagram in September 2021. "While I will miss being a part of the show, I’m excited to continue to focus on other projects and my business endeavors, along with spending quality time with family."

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

Lindsay Arnold

Appeared: Season 16, Seasons 21-28 and Season 30

Reason for Exit: Arnold decided against returning for season 31, instead choosing to focus on her family. “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 [Cusick] who works full time here in Utah,” she wrote via Instagram in August 2022. “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.”

Credit: John Photography/Shutterstock

Sharna Burgess

Appeared: Seasons 16-27, Seasons 29-30

Reason for Exit: The Australia native announced in August 2022 that she would not be returning for DWTS season 31 in order to prioritize her newborn son, whom she is still breast-feeding. (Burgess and Brian Austin Green welcomed Zane that June.)

“[I] did not quit anything,” Burgess said via her Instagram Story at the time. “It’s just one season. … I’m just spending time with [Zane].”

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

Cheryl Burke

Appeared: Seasons 2-19, Season 23, Season 25, Seasons 27-31

Reason for Exit: Burke revealed in a November 2022 that she is hanging up her ballroom heels after 26 seasons. “I also know that it is time for me to begin the next phase of my career, although dance will always be a part of me,” she wrote via Instagram. “I am excited about the idea of evolving, about being challenged in new ways, having the ability to expand my commitment to mental health advocacy, focusing on my new found love for podcasting, & I’m ready to face the uncertainty (though it’s scary as s—t of what the future holds — I do have a few things up my sleeves though, so don’t worry 😉.”

Credit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Witney Carson

Appeared: Seasons 18-28, Seasons 30-31

Reason for Exit: Carson announced in August 2023 that she was not returning to the series after welcoming her second baby, son Jet, three months prior. “You guys know that family is the most important thing to me, and we just really felt that moving our entire family across the country right now was not for us,” she explained via TikTok. “[My oldest son] Leo’s at an age where he needs consistency and dependability, and he hasn’t had that ever since he’s been born. We’re just really trying to give him that right now.” (Carson shares Leo and Jet with husband Carson McAllister.)