Guillermo Rodriguez, the sidekick on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", will join the cast of "Dancing with the Stars" as a contestant [1].
The addition of a high-profile late-night personality is intended to attract a broader fan base to the competition. By casting Rodriguez, producers aim to leverage his popularity and the reach of the ABC late-night program to boost viewership for the series [5, 4].
The announcement took place on Wednesday night, June 17, 2026 [2], during a broadcast of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in Los Angeles, California [6, 1]. Rodriguez will be part of the roster for season 35 [2] of the long-running dance competition.
While the full cast has not been entirely revealed, the series is expected to premiere in mid-September 2026 [3]. Rodriguez will trade his usual role behind the scenes for the ballroom floor, where he will be paired with a professional dancer to compete for the Mirrorball Trophy.
Rodriguez has become a staple of the late-night landscape through his chemistry with Jimmy Kimmel. His transition to a competitive reality format follows a trend of casting recognizable television personalities to maintain the show's cultural relevance in a shifting media environment [5].
Details regarding his specific professional partner and training schedule have not yet been released. The production will likely utilize the promotion on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to build momentum leading up to the September start date [6].
“Guillermo Rodriguez will join the cast of "Dancing with the Stars" as a contestant.”
The casting of Guillermo Rodriguez reflects a strategic effort by ABC to create cross-promotional synergy between its late-night and primetime programming. By integrating a beloved personality from a flagship talk show, the network seeks to stabilize ratings for 'Dancing with the Stars' through a built-in audience of loyal viewers who may not otherwise tune in to the competition.
