What These Popular Dancing With The Stars Winners Are Doing Now

When the first episode of "Dancing With the Stars" aired on ABC way back in 2005, few could have predicted the popularity that the reality series — in which celebrities team up with dancing pros in a battle for ballroom supremacy — would manage to amass. More than two decades and 35 seasons later, the show is one of the longest-running series on network television (and has since found a home on streaming as well).

Along the way, "DWTS" breathed new life into the careers of participants like Kirstie Alley, Mel B, and Joey Lawrence, helped Zendaya and Kim Kardashian continue their ascent toward superstardom, and introduced the world to crossover ballroom stars like Julianne Hough. Meanwhile, the paths that the show's myriad celebrity winners have taken after hoisting the famed Mirrorball Trophy are each unique unto themselves.

From Season 1's controversial winner, Kelly Monaco, to competitor-turned-co-host Brooke Burke and beyond, here's a roundup of what some of "DWTS'" most popular winners are doing now.

Soap star Kelly Monaco entered the first season of "Dancing With the Stars" with roles on ABC's "Port Charles" and "General Hospital" (on which she had played Sam McCall) under her belt. And she had also appeared on the worldwide syndicated hit "Baywatch." However, "DWTS" boosted her visibility as she and partner Alec Mazo outlasted the competition to receive the first-ever Mirrorball Trophy.

Monaco's win wasn't without controversy, though, because "Seinfeld" star John O'Hurley — the runner-up, alongside professional partner Charlotte Jørgensen — and fans took umbrage with the result. A dance-off special was later held, which O'Hurley won, but Monaco's status as the show's first winner cannot be denied. She later competed as an All-Star during Season 15, finishing third. After "DWTS," Monaco continued to appear on "General Hospital" through 2024, when her character was killed off. According to Soap Opera Network, Monaco was "blindsided" by the decision to terminate her character.

Since leaving the show, Monaco has realized an important accomplishment in her personal life, celebrating six months (and seven days) of sobriety in September 2026. "Now the whole 6/7 thing makes sense!" she joked in an Instagram post marking the milestone. Several of her former "General Hospital" co-stars offered their congratulations in response. Otherwise, Monaco has maintained a relatively low profile from a professional standpoint; as of this writing, she has logged no new credits since her "GH" exit.

After the breakout success of "Dancing With the Stars'" first season and Kelly Monaco's controversial win, it was pop star and 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey and his professional partner, Cheryl Burke, who emerged victorious from Season 2 (the first of multiple wins for Burke). They outlasted the team of football legend Jerry Rice and Anna Trebunskaya and the team of WWE star Stacy Keibler and Tony Dovolani to capture the Mirrorball Trophy. 

Lachey similarly returned for Season 15 "DWTS," after which his brother and bandmate, Nick Lachey, participated in Season 25. "I try not to give advice," Drew told Billboard in 2017, adding, "I was trying to be conscious of being supportive for him at the same time." Of course, Drew has never had to live vicariously through his brother. In 2019, he competed on "American Ninja Warrior," and he has only continued to share his myriad talents with the world.

He and his wife, Lea Lachey, debuted the off-Broadway musical "Label•less" in 2025, after which the production — which explores "the challenges and social barriers of today's world" (per New York Theatre Guide) — enjoyed a sold-out run. The show returned to New York City during the summer of 2026. "We created this show to give a platform, a voice, to young people when they've felt like they weren't being seen," Drew told New York Theatre Guide.

Apolo Ohno is an American and Olympic legend, having won eight Olympic speed-skating medals — including two gold — across appearances at the Winter Games in 2002, 2006, and 2010. He also has a Mirrorball Trophy on the mantle after he and partner Julianne Hough won Season 4 of "Dancing With the Stars," besting a field that included NSYNC singer Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson, as well as boxer Laila Ali and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. He later competed during Season 15, finishing in the top five.

In the years since his "DWTS" era, Ohno has kept busy as a commentator for Olympic coverage and a semi-regular guest star/host on other reality series, such as GSN's "Minute to Win It," CBS' "I Get That a Lot," and NBC's "Hollywood Game Night" and "The Biggest Loser." He has also appeared in scripted programming, including CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" reboot and NBC's "Superstore." Ohno has also found success in the business world and as a motivational speaker, according to Olympics.com. He released the book "Hard Pivot" in 2022.

In 2026, Ohno found himself embroiled in conflict with his ex-girlfriend, Anna Pham. According to TMZ, the retired skating star filed a lawsuit against Pham, alleging that she had kept a substantial amount of his personal and business property, including race/training footage, documentary footage, an unpublished book manuscript, and personal Olympic photographs.

One of a handful of "Dancing With the Stars" contestants to later join the show as a host, judge, and/or correspondent, Brooke Burke entered Season 7 as a popular television personality, having hosted E!'s "Wild On!" and the CBS reality competition series "Rock Star: INXS" and its follow-up, "Rock Star: Supernova." She won her "DWTS" season with partner Derek Hough, beating out NFL legend Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson in the process.

Burke later became co-host of "DWTS," alongside longtime host Tom Bergeron — a job she held from Seasons 10 to 17 before she was replaced by Erin Andrews. In 2026, she said on podcast "The Tamsen Show" that she had big concerns about her dismissal initially. "Was it me? Nobody that loves you breaks up with you. If they really loved me, was I good enough? What kind of work was I really bringing to the ballroom? Was it my age? Are they looking for a change? Was it culture? Was it ethnicity?" she recalled of her inner dialogue at the time (via Entertainment Weekly). Burke added that she ultimately came to terms with the move.

Burke currently owns and manages her own fitness and lifestyle app, Brooke Burke Body, which launched in 2017. She has been engaged to Scott Rigsby since 2021.

Another Olympic champion, gymnast Shawn Johnson, won four medals at the 2008 Summer Games, including gold on the balance beam and team, floor, and individual all-around silvers. She also won Season 8 of "Dancing With the Stars." Competing alongside her partner, Mark Ballas, Johnson outlasted the team of actor Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke and the team of "The Bachelor" alum Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani in the end to hoist the trophy. All three celebs went on to compete in Season 15, with Johnson finishing as runner-up to Rycroft.

More recently, Johnson's focus has seemingly been her family and her life away from the limelight of competition and reality television. The champion gymnast married former NFL long snapper Andrew East in 2016, after East proposed to her one year earlier at a Chicago Cubs baseball game. They now have three children, the most recent of which was born in 2023. 

Outside of family life, Johnson hosts two podcasts with her husband, with whom she also wrote the book "The Courage to Commit: Embrace the Radical Power of Sticking With Something." Johnson has also worked as a commentator for the Olympics in recent years and served as an ambassador for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. She and East opened the doors of their home to the world via a feature in Better Homes & Gardens in 2026.

While her acting exploits alone made her an easy add for "Dancing With the Stars," Jennifer Grey entered the show's 11th season with the added pressure of having been part of one of the most popular dance-related pieces of entertainment of all time in the iconic 1987 film "Dirty Dancing." And not only did she honor that work and her late co-star, Patrick Swayze, by performing a Viennese waltz to a song from the film's soundtrack with partner Derek Hough, but she and Hough went on to beat Disney star Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer, and Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas to win the competition.

Grey has continued to work regularly as an actor in films and on television. She suffered an immense loss in her personal life, though, when she lost her home in the Los Angeles wildfires of 2025. "This feels like one messed up dream," Grey shared on Instagram at the time (via People). "But it's not a dream. It's one of those things where life suddenly jumps a track and you're propelled into a different story. I am trying to allow myself to feel the waves of shock, the startling grief, the sudden unavoidable new now that I never wanted."

Despite her loss, Grey has been working behind the scenes to bring a "Dirty Dancing" sequel to the big screen. The production is being developed by Lionsgate with producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Country singer Kellie Pickler was no stranger to reality television when she joined the Season 16 cast of "Dancing With the Stars." Her career was essentially launched by her lengthy run on Fox's "American Idol" several years earlier. Unlike that show (where she finished just outside the top five), though, Pickler and her "DWTS" partner Derek Hough outlasted future Marvel star Zendaya and Valentin Chmerkovskiy, as well as Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff, to win the Mirrorball Trophy.

Pickler went on to host the syndicated talk show "Pickler & Ben" from 2017 to 2019. She also worked for a time as a DJ/midday host on the SiriusXM country music channel The Highway. Though her career has continued to soar in the wake of her "Idol" and "DWTS" success, Pickler has also experienced unimaginable tragedy in her personal life. Her husband, songwriter/musician Kyle Jacobs, died by suicide at 49 in 2023. Since then, she has maintained a low profile.

The country star reemerged in 2026, appearing alongside other finalists from her "Idol" season on the show's current ABC iteration for a 20-year reunion. During the appearance, Pickler joined Hannah Harper to sing Martina McBride's "A Broken Wing."

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As the daughter of famed conservationist and television personality Steve Irwin, Bindi Irwin has been in the public eye for a long time. After his death, she and her brother, Robert Irwin, assumed the mantle established by the late "Crocodile Hunter" at an incredibly young age. As if that weren't enough, Bindi and dance pro Derek Hough won Season 21 of "Dancing With the Stars" when she was just 17 years old. In doing so, the pair bested Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess, and Legion of Honor recipient Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold.

Bindi starred in Animal Planet's "Crikey! It's the Irwins" from 2018 to 2022, and she has also appeared in a number of scripted films and television series. Her acting credits include the 2013 film "Return to Nim's Island" and several episodes of the Disney Jr. animated series "Spidey and His Amazing Friends," on which she voiced Isla Coralton. In 2021, Bindi gave birth to her only child with husband Chandler Powell, a daughter named Grace. Around that time, she made waves by taking a mental-health-related break from social media.

In 2026, Bindi recognized the 20-year anniversary of her father's death with a sweet tribute on Instagram. "[Twenty] years ago, today, the world lost the most passionate and dedicated wildlife conservationist. Our family lost our superhero. My mum lost the love of her life; my brother and I lost the greatest dad," Bindi wrote in the post. 

Shawn Johnson wasn't the only Olympic gymnast and gold medal winner to take her athletic talents and championship mentality to the ballroom on "Dancing With the Stars." Laurie Hernandez, who won two medals at the 2016 Summer Games (including team gold) and was a member of USA Gymnastics' "Final Five," followed in her footsteps during the show's 23rd season. Dancing with partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Hernandez defeated IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess, and football legend Calvin Johnson Jr. and Lindsay Arnold to become "DWTS'" youngest-ever winner at just 16.

Now, years removed from her balance-beam dominance and "DWTS" win, Hernandez has realized her next evolution as a stage actor. In 2026, she made her Broadway debut after joining the company of the musical "& Juliet." She followed that up by starring in an off-Broadway production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."

"[My love of musical theater] kicked off in 2016 when I saw 'Hamilton' for the first time. A couple of weeks later, I was on 'Dancing With the Stars.' We had a Broadway night — we got 'Chicago' — and Idina Menzel was a guest judge. I remember geeking out and being so excited," Hernandez told BuzzFeed of her acting origin story. "I always thought I might want to get into acting and entertainment, so I wasn't shocked that it was a career path for me once I retired from gymnastics."

Former Miss Alabama USA Hannah Brown came to "Dancing With the Stars" via the "Bachelor" universe, after appearing on Season 23 of "The Bachelor" and, later, becoming the focal point of "The Bachelorette's" 15th season. She and dancing pro Alan Bersten teamed up for Season 28 of "DWTS," taking top honors after beating out the likes of former Nickelodeon star Kel Mitchell and Witney Carson, Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke and Sasha Farber, and others.

After "The Bachelor" and "DWTS," Brown — who has undergone a significant transformation since childhood — returned to the reality television fray in 2023 via Season 1 of the Fox military training series "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test." In the end, she was one of just two stars to pass the test, joining women's soccer legend Carli Lloyd as a winner. These days, though, she looks to be more focused on life with her husband, Adam Woolard, and her career as an author.

Brown has written a slew of contemporary romance novels (as well as a memoir), the most recent of which, "Reasons to Be Loved by You," was published in 2026. However, she hopes to see her stories reach a wider audience beyond just the literary crowd. "Hopefully, one day, like, my dream would be for these books to be made into TV or film," she said in an It Girl Q&A video. "That is the ultimate goal. But until then, I'm just going to keep creating stories for people to love and fall in love with love."

To casual viewers and sports fans, Iman Shumpert may be best known for his time on "Dancing With the Stars." Before hitting the dance floor, though, he competed on the basketball hardwood for a decade and even helped LeBron James win an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. He later padded his championship resume by winning Season 30 of "Dancing With the Stars" alongside Daniella Karagach.

The duo outdanced singer/YouTuber JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson, fitness star Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke, and others to secure the Mirrorball Trophy. Shumpert and Karagach had previously gone viral during Week 6 of the competition with what was considered by some to be one of the greatest dance routines in the show's history.

Shumpert unofficially closed the book on his basketball career after the 2020-2021 NBA season, just ahead of his "DWTS" run. In 2024, he and singer/actor Teyana Taylor divorced after eight years of marriage. During an appearance that year on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay," Shumpert claimed (via EssentiallySports) that the dissolution of their partnership took much of the wealth he had amassed during his playing days. Despite the personal setback, Shumpert continues to raise his media profile as part of ESPN's NBA coverage and by hosting the "Shump Street" podcast.