It’s almost time to return to the ballroom, as the cast for Dancing with the Stars Season 34 has been revealed ahead of the show’s return on the 2025 TV schedule. The cast is certainly stacked this season, between fan-favorite Olympians, actors, reality stars and more, but there are still so many others who would make for perfect competitors. Co-host and former Mirrorball champ Alfonso Ribeiro is still pushing for Fresh Prince co-star Will Smith to compete, but I'm more focused on the A+ actress he also mentioned.
Whenever a new season of ABC's long-running dance competition show comes around, the speculation about who will compete on DWTS that time around is always a big topic. While some fans have correctly predict some of the contestants each season, it’s always fun seeing the full cast. In my opinion, though, it's never to early to start thinking about casts for future seasons, though. Ribeiro spoke about his dream contestants while chatting with TV Insider, which is when he mentioned his on-screen cousin:
I want Will Smith. He keeps saying he can get jiggy with it!
Most of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cast members still remain close decades after the series ended, including almost birthday twins Smith and Ribeiro. Even though Ribeiro has admitted to initially not wanting to help Smith learn his iconic Carlton dance, he wants more than ever for Smith to compete on DWTS. Since Ribeiro even went viral for performing The Carlton on the show, it would be fun to bring another piece of Fresh Prince to the ballroom. Whether or not it will actually happen is unknown, but I hope it does.
That being said, Smith isn't the only dream celebrity contestant for Ribeiro. He also mentioned a certain actress who is not only part of the ABC family but is quite the scream queen and a fan of DWTS, and I would love nothing more than to see her join the series:
Jennifer Love Hewitt would be fantastic. She’s a fan and has been in the audience many times.
It might be a bit hard getting JLH on the show, considering she’s busy starring on 9-1-1. After all, the first responder drama is still going strong, even following that major death earlier this year. However, considering both shows are on ABC, maybe the network would work out the logistics so that Jennifer Love Hewitt could be on the show. I'm confident that Hewitt would crush it, though, especially considering that she's a star of many talents.
And on that topic, Ribeiro also threw out an NFL Hall of Famer who would be perfect, since athletes have also performed will on the show:
A buddy of mine, Steve Young, Hall of Fame quarterback for the 49ers. We love having great NFL players. What this show does incredibly well is connect the heart to entertainment. Typically, the [celebrities] who go a long way are the ones who give their heart.
As of now, it's unclear just how long Dancing with the Stars, but I'm hopeful that it'll be on the air long enough for Will Smith, Jennifer Love Hewitt and any other A+ stars to join in the competition. For right now, though, let's look towards the season that's nearly upon us. DWTS Season 34 premieres on Tuesday, September 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will be streamable with a Disney+ subscription as well.
