Julianne Hough reveals why it's nice to get a break from 'Dancing with the Stars' judging panel

Julianne Hough admits there's one great thing about not sitting on the Dancing with the Stars judging panel with some mixture of Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.


"It's nice now because I can actually have favorites. I watched the premiere, and I was super-rooting for [Boyz II Men's Wanya Morris] because he did Grease: Live with us," Hough, 27, told People.

"I will miss being on the panel... but have a lot of exciting stuff coming that I look forward to sharing. The pro dancers, producers and crew at DWTS will always be my family."

After serving as a DWTS judge for three seasons in a row beginning with Season 19, Hough reiterated how she's "really excited" about "focusing on some other things."

Hough previously promised her fans, however, she'll definitely return to the Dancing with the Stars ballroom in one way or another.


"I'm at that point in my career where I need to focus on my personal career and make sure I'm doing what I'm doing," said Hough, who is engaged to hockey player Brooks Laich.

The blonde beauty sat on a four-person judging panel for Dancing with the Stars' nineteenth season. But then Goodman, 71, quit the series after Season 20 because he was having difficulty juggling numerous career endeavors and traveling back and forth from the United States to Britain.

Dancing with the Stars' ratings declined significantly for last fall's edition after Goodman departed, so producers allegedly gave Hough the boot and scrambled to get him back for Season 22.

According to an insider, "Julianne never really fit in. Fans didn't like her, and there were tensions between her and the other judges..." the National Enquirer reported last week.

"She acted like she was doing everyone a favor by going back as a judge. Both Bruno and Carrie Ann thought she had a major attitude, and that infuriated them... Removing Julianne and going back to a three-member panel was key to getting [Len] to return."


Before Hough landed her spot as a judge on Dancing with the Stars, she competed as a pro partner on Seasons 4 through 8. The two-time mirrorball trophy champion left the show to pursue her film and country-singing goals before coming back as a guest judge and then ultimately a regular judge.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski