When Julianne Hough stopped by Live with Kelly and Michael a few weeks ago to promote FOX network’s Grease Live, in which she starred as Sandy, the hosts couldn’t get a yes or no answer from the actress/dancer about whether she would be returning to judge Dancing with the Stars for Season 22.
That appearance raised a few red flags. And as it turns out, fans who took her hedging as a sign that something was up were correct. Julianne has told People magazine that she will NOT be returning to the Dancing with the Stars panel after serving as judge on seasons 19, 20 and 21.
“I will miss being on the panel for Season 22, but have a lot of exciting stuff coming that I look forward to sharing,” she told People. “The pro dancers, producers and crew at DWTS will always be my family.”
Julianne’s departure comes as Len Goodman returns to take a seat next to returning judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. Last fall, Len decided to dedicate himself solely to UK’s Strictly Come Dancing, the British version of the dance competition. Typically, he and Bruno would fly back and forth from London to Los Angeles to do both shows. Len decided to cut himself a break on flying to spend fall in London.
Dancing with the Stars season 22 premieres on ABC Monday March 21.
