TikTok, tango, or both? ABC confirmed the D'Amelio's casting announcement after a weeks-long rumor of their involvement.
TikTok, tango, or both? ABC revealed a sneak peek of their Dancing With the Stars season 31 lineup via Good Morning America on Wednesday, confirming that mother-daughter duo Charli and Heidi D'Amelio will join their list of celebrity contestants.
The celebs will make history, being the first mother and daughter contestants to compete against each other on the DWTS dance floor. Heidi and Charli spoke to Michael Strahan following the announcement, with Heidi sharing they were filming their Hulu reality show when they got the call from their PR reps.
"We thought [our show] was getting canceled," Heidi recalled. "I was in shock for myself."
Charli added, "I thought they were joking, I didn't think they were being real."
TMZ first published rumors of the D'Amelio's casting on Aug. 25, but ABC did not confirm until the GMA announcement on Wednesday.
Charli begins the competition with a bit of a head-start -- the 18-year-old Internet star has amassed over 146 million TikTok followers largely because of her viral dance clips rooted in her background on the competitive dance circuit. She also partnered with former DTWS pro and returning judge Derek Hough earlier this year, recreating a scene from Dirty Dancing for his ABC special Step…Into the Movies with Derek and Julianne.
Charli's mother, Heidi, is also an influencer and former model. Despite her lack of a dance background, she's also sure to gain quick attention from fans: The D’Amelio family, which also includes sister Dixie and father Marc, have more than 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube.
ABC has not yet announced which professionals will partner with the two contestants. The new season of DWTS will return on Sept. 19 with Tyra Banks as host, this time joined by newly named co-host Alfonso Ribeiro. Longtime judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli will all return to the judges' table with Hough.
Dancing With the Stars streams live on Disney+ starting Monday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET.
RELATED CONTENT:
