As Harry Shum Jr. prepares to take the ballroom floor for Season 35 of DWTS, his former “Glee” costars are rushing to his side with love, excitement, and plenty of cheerleading.
The 44-year-old actor who captured hearts as the ultra-talented Mike Chang on the hit Fox series was officially announced as a member of the cast on “Good Morning America.” He is paried with pro dancer Jenna Johnson. And it didn’t take long for his old McKinley High crew to turn the comments section into a full-blown reunion.
The ‘Glee’ Cast Supports One of Their Own as Harry Shum Joins Season 35 of DWTS
Harry Shum, Jr. posted his first official photo with Jenna Johnson in full ballroom attire on Instagram. Shortly after the announcement dropped, members of the close-knit Glee family jumped online in the post’s comments section to show their support.
Fans quickly spotted warm words from Shum’s former castmates, including Chris Colfer, and Jenna Ushkowitz, who played Kurt Hummel and Tina Cohen-Chang. Colfer wrote, “YESSSSSS!!! Can’t wait to watch and vote for you!!” Ushkowitz cheered, “Let’s goooooooo Harryyyy,” These familiar faces reminded viewers that the bonds formed on the musical series run just as deep today as they did when “Glee” first premiered over 15 years ago, from 2009 to 2015.
In a separate post, Amber Riley, who competed and won DWTS during Season 17 alongside Derek Hough, shared the same image of Shum and Johnson on her Instagram page. She cheered on her longtime friend in the caption, calling him “a total star” and urging her fans to vote for him this season.
“Ya’ll know I’m competitive. We don’t lose!” Riley wrote.
She continued, “Consider this a Harry Shum, Jr. fan page from now on!!! I will be sat EVERY WEEK, and WE (yes that means YOU TOO), will be voting every week! Congratulations Shum and let’s go Jenna!!!!!! Am I allowed to bring signs to the ballroom?”
Harry Shum, Jr. ‘Nervous’ About DWTS Debut
Ahead of his DWTS debut, former “Glee” star Harry Shum, Jr. admits he’s “nervous.”
He told Us Weekly, “I was lip-synching while dancing [when I was on ‘Glee’], so that’s a little different. I’ve done one partner dance on the show, and that nearly killed me — with Heather Morris.” Morris competed on DWTS during Season 24 with pro-partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy and finished in eighth place.
“Even our last rehearsal, dancing for 60 seconds, I’m dying. Also, that was like 17 years ago that I last did [that],” he admitted.
He added, ““So I think the elements — I think it’s performance, that’s what’s fun. Telling the story is just stuff that I’m really excited about, but the stuff I’m nervous about is really the technique of it all.”
“I mean, I hear it from her [Jenna Johnson],” he continued. “Even having my shoulder up too far, she just pushes it back. It feels like you’re getting poked everywhere.”
Johnson added, “There is the live element that people don’t take into consideration. Going out in front of millions of people with a studio audience and performing live … there is no other feeling when it goes 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. You’re live when that red light goes on. You cannot explain that. You never know how someone’s going to react or show up in that moment.”
DWTS stars airs beginning Tuesday, Sept. 15, and continuing Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.
