Carrie Ann Inaba is dancing towards her recovery.
The Dancing With the Stars judge shared that she’s skipping the show’s season 34 premiere due to an undisclosed illness.
“I wanted to share that I will not be at the show tonight as I am feeling quite under the weather,” Carrie wrote in an Instagram post Sept. 16. “I’m resting up and can’t wait to be back next week in good health.”
But just because she won’t share the screen with fellow judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli for the season’s kickoff episode doesn’t mean the 57-year-old won’t be showing her support for the competitors, which include celebrity contestants Alix Earle, Corey Feldman, Robert Irwin and Dylan Efron.
“In the meantime, I wish all the contestants the very best of luck,” Carrie said. “I’ll be cheering you on from home.”
The reality TV personality—who has served as a judge on Dancing With the Stars since 2005—isn’t the only show veteran who won’t be taking on their usual role during the Sept. 16 premiere.
After all, last month, it was revealed that Sasha Farber—who made his dancing pro debut in 2013 with Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and most recently competed on season 33 of Dancing With the Stars with The Bachelorette‘s Jenn Tran—won’t be returning to the dance floor for this upcoming installment.
However, the 41-year-old is still set to participate in the competition series in other ways. Indeed, ABC confirmed one day before season 34’s arrival that Sasha will be giving fans a special, inside look at just what goes down on premiere day.
“Ready for more behind the scenes?” the network captioned a Sept. 15 post on the Dancing With the Stars Instagram. “We’re going LIVE on TikTok with @sashafarber1 TOMORROW to celebrate the #DWTS Premiere!”
And Sasha is certainly excited about the change in pace. As he commented under the announcement, “Can’t wait to showwwwww you guys around the ballroom and take you backstage !!!!!!!!!”
For a closer look at the celebrity and dancer duos who will be taking the stage during the Dancing With the Stars season 34 premiere, keep reading.
Baron Davis
Partnered with Britt Stewart
Jennifer Affleck
Partnered with Jan Ravnik
Alix Earle
Partnered with Valentin Chmerkovski
Dylan Efron
Partnered with Daniella Karagach
Corey Feldman
Partnered with Jenna Johnson
Elaine Hendrix
Partnered with Alan Bersten
Robert Irwin
Partnered with Witney Carson
Jordan Chiles
Partnered with Ezra Sosa
Scott Hoying
Partnered with Rylee Arnold
Whitney Leavitt
Partnered with Mark Ballas
Hilaria Baldwin
Partnered with Gleb Savchenko
Andy Richter
Partnered with Emma Slater
Danielle Fishel
Partnered with Pasha Pashkov
