Lindsay Arnold returned to the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom for the show’s 20th birthday party, and she appears to be content staying behind the scenes.
The pro dancer, who competed on 10 seasons of the ABC celebrity ballroom competition between 2013 and 2021, told Access Hollywood that the show “absolutely” changed her life. “Like I am beyond grateful for every single moment that I got to spend on this show,” she said. “And it’s been so cool because since I stepped away, my youngest sister Rylee has now joined the show. So it’s been so cool how it really has become a family for me in the sense that I got to do it for so long. Now I’m getting to be behind the scenes, cheering on my baby sister.”
“I could not be more grateful for what this show has done for me and my family,” Arnold added.
Lindsay Arnold Compared the DWTS 20th Anniversary to a High School Reunion
Arnold, 31, stepped back from DWTS following Season 30 in 2021 to focus on raising her two young daughters, Sage and June, with her husband, Sam Cusick.
While she cheered on her sister Rylee for the past three seasons, the 20th birthday show featured dozens of past pros and contestants from the show’s 34 seasons.
“It’s like walking into like the high school reunion that we all want, where it’s just all your fun best friends that you’re so excited to see,” Arnold told Access. “I got to do this show for 14 seasons (four seasons as a troupe member) and so seeing people from back when I was 20 years old, 25, like just takes you back to so many cool memories in your life and it’s been so fun to see. It’s really cool to see everyone back and obviously, we’re here celebrating 20 years of ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ which is pretty crazy.”
Lindsay Arnold Has Not Given an Update on Returning to DWTS
GettyArnold has not revealed her plans regarding a future return to the DWTS ballroom. In a January 2025 interview with People magazine, she confirmed she was not “waiting” for a special offer to lure her back to the show.
“It’s not like there’s like, ‘Oh, I’m waiting for them to say they’ll do this, or they’ll give me this partner,’ or something,” she said. “It’s really just a mindset. It’s a feeling like me, and my girls, and my husband, we’re all in a place where the sacrifices that it takes to do the show, uprooting our family, moving to a different state, feel worth it to us. There isn’t a checklist that I’m waiting for. It’s just honestly just an intuition thing of feeling like, Oh, okay. I feel like we could make this work right now in our phase of life.’”
Despite her hiatus from the show, Arnold reiterated that she is not “retired” from being a professional dancer. She told the “Off the Vine” podcast, “I’ve never really said, like, ‘I’m done forever.’ And that’s still my answer. “
