Derek Hough shared the details of his terrifying experiences with childhood bullies. The “Dancing With the Stars” judge recalled having a gun held to his head, being hung from a tree, and spit on.
Derek Hough Recalls Childhood Bullying & the Move That Made Him Feel Safe
During a May 25 interview on “The Bossticks” podcast, Hough shared some of the horrifying details of his childhood trauma.
The “DWTS” star noted that he was awkward and “found it hard to connect with kids at school.”
Hough explained, “I was always on the outside just trying to fit in and get in there. Being a dancer didn’t help. I would get the crap beaten out of me.”
“At one school, a kid punched me in the face,” he recalled. “I’m bleeding everywhere, but then I retaliated and started beating him up, and then I got expelled from school.”
“We had these neighbors who were — bullying is kind of too nice of a word — they tormented me, where they would hang me up in a tree by my ankles and put a gun to my head and spit on me or hogtie me in a field,” Hough shared.
He continued, “I was scared. I would have night terrors and I would wet the bed. I was a scared kid. I was a terrified kid … scared of the dark, scared of my shadow, just scared and constantly on edge.”
Hough moved to England when he was 12 years old to train with professional dancers.
The dancer said the move made him feel safe, explaining, “It was like I had clarity — and clarity is power.”
‘DWTS’ Judge Urges People to Focus on Kindness
On October 13, 2025, Hough took to Instagram to discuss bullying. In the video, he shared, “Just wanted to come on here and share a few thoughts that have been on my heart lately.”
He noted that he had spoken at a children’s hospital event, “where we had this really meaningful conversation about bullying.”
“For those of you who don’t know this about me, but I was severely bullied as a kid myself,” Hough said. “I experienced some pretty extreme stuff … being hung by a tree by my feet, being spat on, beaten up, a gun held to my head, even hogtied in a field for hours.”
He added, “But that was a whole different level of what you might call physical and emotional torture.”
The “DWTS” judge pointed out how bullying has now “shifted into the digital world.”
“‘Power over others is weakness in disguise.’ Recently, I had a heartfelt conversation at a children’s hospital event where we were raising money for mental health programs,” Hough wrote in the caption.
He continued, “We talked a lot about bullying, not just the kind I faced growing up, but the kind that happens online now, the kind that so many teens and adults deal with every day.”
“The reality is, negativity is always going to exist in some form,” Hough noted. “We can’t necessarily shield ourselves or our kids from every harsh word, but we can equip them [and] ourselves with the tools to understand that sometimes that negativity is just someone else’s weakness trying to disguise itself as power.”
“So here’s a thought: what if we take a moment to reflect on the kind of culture we want to build? Before we post or comment, let’s pause and think: are we building each other up or tearing each other down? Are we focusing on kindness and good intentions?” he asked.
