Dancing With the Stars makes LGBTQ+ history with Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills

Dancing With the Stars is adding another significant chapter to its LGBTQ+ history as Sarah Jane Nader and professional dancer Hailey Bills prepare to compete together in Season 35.

Sarah Jane and Hailey will become only the second partnership made up of two women in the US show’s history and the third same sex celebrity and professional pairing overall. Their place in the ballroom continues a shift that began when JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson became the programme’s first same sex couple in 2021. Shangela and Gleb Savchenko followed in 2022.

For Sarah Jane, joining Dancing With the Stars also continues something of a family connection to the programme. Her sister Brooks Nader competed in Season 33 alongside professional dancer Gleb Savchenko. Sarah Jane is already known to viewers of Love Thy Nader, the reality series following the Nader sisters and their lives in New York after growing up in Louisiana. 

Sarah Jane has been open about being bisexual, making her new partnership particularly significant for LGBTQ+ representation on mainstream television. Rather than simply appearing as an LGBTQ+ contestant, she will compete as part of a same sex partnership in one of America’s biggest entertainment franchises.

Hailey is also beginning an important new stage of her Dancing With the Stars career. She joined the programme’s professional troupe for Season 34 and has now been promoted to a full professional role with Sarah Jane as her first celebrity partner.

The 20 year old has another fascinating connection to the show because her aunt is Jenna Johnson, the professional dancer who made history alongside JoJo Siwa in the first all female partnership. 

That family link gives this latest pairing an added sense of continuity. Five years after Jenna helped break new ground in the ballroom, her niece is now part of the next same sex female partnership to follow.

The official cast announcement places Sarah Jane and Hailey among 16 celebrity partnerships competing in Season 35.

The new season begins with a two night premiere on September 15 and 16, airing live on ABC and Disney+ in the United States, with episodes available on Hulu the following day. 

For Dancing With the Stars, it is another positive step towards same sex partnerships becoming a normal and recurring part of the ballroom rather than a rare exception.

For more LGBTQ+ television, film and entertainment news, keep checking SoapLandTV for the latest casting news, features and must watch recommendations.

Images: Disney / Andrew Eccles; Dancing With the Stars / Instagram