Gleb Savchenko is keeping it cool after it was announced this morning that he would not be a part of the Season 35 cast of “Dancing with the Stars.”
The professional dancer broke his silence by posting a shirtless video of him by the pool.
“Guys, I promise… I’m good,” he wrote in the caption. “Nothing but love and gratitude for all the years in that ballroom. Excited for this next chapter– and wishing everyone an amazing season. No sad messages. We’re moving forward.”
“Guys, you can stop telling me you’re sorry. I’m good,” Savchenko, 42, told fans in his video on Wednesday. He looks relaxed as he chuckles and swings the camera down.
A Surprising Departure
Savchenko has been a longtime pro on the show, first appearing in 2013 on Season 16 with partner Lisa Vanderpump. The Russian dancer partnered with Hilaria Baldwin in 2025 for his last season. Together, they placed 11th overall but were eliminated in week 4.
Savchenko has taken to social media in the past few months to soft-launch his departure from the franchise. He hinted in a now-deleted Tiktok video in early August that he was not asked to come back to the show after his breakup with Brooks Nader.
Savchenko and Nader competed together on Season 33 in 2024, and the fallout of their breakup has made waves. Nader alleged she had proof he was cheating on her. In the video, Savchenko lip-synced to an audio saying, “I don’t know where you got your information from, I don’t know who your source is, but I will be the first one to tell you that is incorrect.”
Nader’s younger sister, Sarah Jane Nader, and close friend and co-star Maura Higgins have both made their feelings clear about Savchenko since the breakup. Higgins was asked by StyleCaster who she wanted to be paired with on the show, and she responded, “not Gleb.”
“Anyone else is fine,” Higgins said.
‘Fully Transitioning to Acting’
Although he was seen most recently while participating in “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro,” Savchenko has begun pursuing acting opportunities. He teased in July to Us that he was working on a variety of projects.
“I just filmed another vertical, and I’m super excited for it,” he said. “It’s a platform, so I encourage everyone to download it. The name of it is pretty crazy, but it’s called ‘Swallow Me Like A Sin.’ I have a big role.” Savchenko also shared that he would be playing the role of a “Mafia King” in the project.
“It’s a really cool blockbuster, a dream come true. I’m fully transitioning to acting,” he said. “I really want to do that on the next level.”
Savchenko is not the only one who is transitioning into acting after their ‘DWTS’ run. Joey Graziadei announced during the first-ever DWTS Convention in early August that he would also be stepping away from reality television to pursue an acting career. He even teased that he would be working alongside Val Chmerkovskiy on a new show.
“I’ve had my stint on reality TV. I think I need to take a break on that one,” Graziadei said. “I do have a movie coming out later this year. Watch it at your own risk,” he joked.
