‘DWTS’ Duo Reveal Matching Tribute Days After Shocking Elimination

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Image Credit: Ser Baffo/ Getty Images

Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa may be out of the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom, but one part of their Season 35 partnership is officially permanent.

Just days after their emotional elimination, the actress and her professional dance partner revealed matching tattoos commemorating the eight weeks they spent competing together.

Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa tattoos carry a simple but sentimental meaning, with both stars getting eight tiny stars inked on their wrists; one for every dance they performed together during the competition.

The reveal comes after the pair openly struggled with saying goodbye following their elimination and repeatedly spoke about how close they had become throughout the season.

Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa’s Tattoos Have A Special Meaning

Sosa unveiled the matching ink on Thursday, November 5, sharing photos of himself and Stiles showing off their wrists. The pair each had eight small stars tattooed in clusters, representing the dances they performed together during their time on “DWTS.”

“One star for every time we got to dance together,” Sosa wrote alongside the photos, according to Entertainment Weekly. The matching stars were not the only additions made during their tattoo session.

Sosa also got a chair tattooed on the side of his torso, while Stiles opted for the words “diva check” written in cursive. The latest ink continues a tradition Sosa has developed since becoming a professional dancer on the ABC competition series.

After Season 34, he and Olympian Jordan Chiles got matching “Just Married” tattoos. He also has a tattoo connected to his Season 33 partner, Anna Delvey, referencing her infamous reaction after being eliminated from the show.

This time, however, Stiles joined him in making their partnership permanent.

Their Tattoo Plans Started After A Tearful Goodbye

The matching tattoos were not completely unexpected. After Stiles and Sosa were eliminated during Disney Night, the idea of getting matching tattoos came up while they were reflecting on their time together. Stiles and Sosa had just performed a paso doble to “Satisfied” from “Hamilton,” earning 33 out of 40 from the judges before ultimately being sent home.

Their elimination left both of them emotional. Stiles admitted she was particularly upset about no longer getting to see Sosa every day, while the professional dancer became tearful as he explained how much working with her had changed him.

“She made me a better person,” Sosa said after their exit. The emotional moment eventually lightened when the possibility of matching tattoos was raised. “Oh my god!” Sosa reacted before Stiles agreed, “We should!” It turns out they were serious.

Sosa later teased that the tradition was continuing by sharing a photo of Stiles sitting in a tattoo chair, leaving fans wondering what the pair had chosen. The eight-star design finally answered that question.

Ezra Sosa Said He Was ‘Meant To Find’ Julia Stiles

The tattoos arrived during an especially emotional week for the pair. After leaving the competition, Sosa shared a heartfelt message about his friendship with Stiles, writing that he believed some people were simply “meant to find each other.”

In the tribute, which EntertainmentNow previously reported, Sosa reflected on the unusual connection between their lives even before they became partners. Years before competing together, Stiles happened to record a clip while watching “Dancing With the Stars” that captured one of Sosa’s earliest appearances on the show.

Neither knew at the time that they would eventually be paired together. Sosa said Stiles went on to become not just his celebrity partner but also his “best friend” and “one of the most important people” in his life.

“I came into this season hoping to teach you how to dance, but you ended up teaching me so much more about life, love, and friendship,” he wrote. He also made it clear that the relationship they built meant more to him than their scores or performances.

“My favorite part of this entire experience wasn’t a dance or a score,” Sosa wrote. “It was getting to know you and getting to call you my friend.”

Their ‘DWTS’ Journey Wasn’t Always Easy

The stars on their wrists also represent a season that included more than ballroom highs. Stiles faced difficult weeks during the competition, including a painful injury that forced the pair to miss rehearsal time and rework choreography.

Sosa publicly defended Stiles after disappointing scores during Horror Movie Night, revealing that she had missed two full rehearsal days and continued working despite the setback.

Their partnership also survived early frustration over judging. After Stiles received lower scores earlier in the season, she admitted she had become emotional over the results, while Sosa encouraged her to keep pushing through the inevitable highs and lows of the competition.

By Disney Night, their progress was evident as Stiles danced through her rib injury to deliver what fellow contestant Maura Higgins later called her “best dance”. Still, viewer votes were not enough to keep Stiles and Sosa in the competition. Their departure came with seven couples remaining in Season 35.

Sosa Gave Stiles A ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ Goodbye

Sosa also found another way to honor Stiles after their exit by borrowing from one of her most famous movie moments. In a video shared after their elimination, the dancer delivered a goodbye speech inspired by Stiles’ famous poem scene in the 1999 romantic comedy “10 Things I Hate About You.”

He altered the format to describe what their friendship had meant to him, telling Stiles that he hated the way she doubted herself, the way she made him laugh and the way she kept fighting through difficult moments. The tribute left Stiles in tears.

Sosa ended his speech with a reference to the movie’s memorable final lines, making the gesture especially meaningful given Stiles’ long connection to the film. Entertainment Weekly reported that both became emotional during the exchange.

The moment followed another major “10 Things I Hate About You” connection during Stiles’ season. She previously honored her late co-star Heath Ledger during “DWTS” Dedication Night, with Sosa becoming emotional while helping bring the tribute together.

Their Partnership Lives On Beyond The Ballroom

While Stiles and Sosa will no longer rehearse together every day, neither has suggested their friendship ended with their elimination. Stiles said she would remember how often Sosa made her laugh and how closely he understood what she was experiencing throughout the competition.

Sosa, meanwhile, said he would miss the pair’s daily warm-up routines and the small moments they shared away from the live performances. The matching tattoos now give them another reminder.

For eight weeks, audiences saw Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa navigate difficult scores, injuries, emotional performances and an elimination neither seemed ready for. Now, eight tiny stars ensure neither of them will completely leave that chapter behind.