Dancing with the Stars host Alfonso Ribeiro has teased what he thinks it will be like to have Julianne Hough serve as his new co-host on Season 32.
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Julianne has signed on to co-host the upcoming Fall 2023 season of Dancing with the Stars, and Alfonso -- the co-host of Season 31 who will be assuming Tyra Banks' former main hosting role -- told Entertainment Tonight that he's "very excited" about the new cast dynamic.
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Alfonso, 51, shared, "Our chemistry, I think, is going to be fantastic. We've known each other for so long. She was a judge on my season."
Alfonso won Dancing with the Stars' nineteenth season with his pro partner Witney Carson back in 2014.
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"We've known each other through the years and our energy just feels so right," Alfonso elaborated.
"We sat and had lunch and two-and-a-half hours later, we're going, 'I guess we should go home and do stuff.' And I think that that kind of chemistry and friendship is going to come through on the show to the audience."
Alfonso apparently believes he and Julianne, 34, will be a great team because they both "know exactly [what it takes]."
Julianne, for her part, called it "an honor" to be co-hosting Dancing with the Stars in a March 20 Instagram post because it "holds such a special place" in her heart.
Julianne gushed about her new role on Dancing with the Stars only four days after Tyra publicly announced her departure from the reality dancing competition on March 16.
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Julianne previously competed as a pro dancer on Dancing with the Stars from Seasons 4 through Season 8. She won two mirrorball trophies and later returned as a guest judge for Season 17 and Season 18.
Julianne was then promoted to a regular judge on Dancing with the Stars' Seasons 19 through Season 24.
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Although Julianne stepped away from the judging panel for Season 25, she appeared as a guest judge and also returned for Season 30 in the same capacity.
"Funny enough, Julianne and I might end up dancing a little bit. That might happen," Alfonso hinted of a potential performance.
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Alfonso shared how Dancing with the Stars pro Emma Slater "has been taking me into the dance studio twice a week" to refresh his moves.
Dancing with the Stars will be judged by Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba for Season 32, which will air on ABC and stream on Disney+ simultaenously.
The show's fourth judge, Len Goodman, announced his retirement at the end of the show's 31st season late last year, and then he passed away at age 78 after battling bone cancer in April.
"I still haven't fully wrapped my head around the idea," Alfonso told ET of Len's death.
"It's incredibly sad to see him gone, not just gone but gone from the show -- and it's going to be tough. He had an incredible role on the show with the audience and his power and presence made the judging panel really solid."
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But Alfonso insisted Derek will "be really great" as the new head judge.
Alfonso anticipates Derek may have some "growing pains" leading the judging panel next season, but he's certain the six-time DWTS mirrorball trophy champion and former World of Dance judge will be professional and successful in the role.
The official premiere date and cast for the new season have yet to be formally announced, but Alfonso said he's hopeful the new batch of contestants will have "the most magical experience" on the dance floor week to week, as long as they fully commit.
"One of the things that this show does so well is really make you dive deep into who you are, make you shed all of those things, all those walls that we all put up and allow you to connect deeply with your own heart," Alfonso explained.
"If you allow it to do that and when it does, it becomes the most magical experience. We got to experience that with [actress] Selma Blair last year. What she experienced [with multiple sclerosis], it literally healed her body, it healed her soul."
Alfonso pointed out how the staff and celebrities of Dancing with the Stars are "such a tight family," adding, "Once you become part of the family, it's arms wrapped around you at all times."
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And speaking of family, Alfonso teased there will be multiple tributes for Len throughout the season.
"Several of our pros plan on still honoring [him]," Alfonso noted. "There will be moments where everybody's going to do it for Len either way."