Julia Stiles may have come to “Dancing with the Stars” hoping to win the Mirrorball Trophy, but it seems like she also had a little unfinished business to handle first. During the second night of the Season 35 premiere, Stiles brought up Bravo alum, Andy Cohen, during her rehearsal package, and Derek Hough apparently decided to get involved.
Yep, this all goes back to Stiles’ role in “Save the Last Dance” and comments Cohen made about her dancing years after the movie came out. And while Stiles seemed to be having fun with the whole thing, Hough took the opportunity to send Cohen a message of his own after Stiles and Ezra Sosa’s performance.
Honestly, this might be one of the more unexpected storylines to come out of the “DWTS” premiere.
Julia Stiles Has a Bone to Pick With Andy Cohen
During her rehearsal footage, Stiles talked about her history with dance and explained why she eventually stopped taking classes.
“I stopped taking dance classes because people expected me to be this perfect dancer. Andy Cohen, do you know?”
Sosa clearly knew exactly who she was talking about.
“Yes, that diva.”
Stiles then explained just how much Cohen’s comment had stuck with her.
“The quote is imprinted in my brain.”
So, what exactly did Cohen say?
Stiles was referring to her role as Sara Johnson in “Save the Last Dance,” the 2001 movie about a ballet dancer who moves to Chicago and dreams of attending Juilliard. The movie became a major part of Stiles’ career. And yep, her dancing in the film has continued to be discussed more than two decades later.
In 2025, Cohen brought up the subject while interviewing Kerry Washington, who starred alongside Stiles in the movie, on his SiriusXM show, “Radio Andy.”
“Can we all just agree that Julia Stiles is not the greatest dancer on the planet?”
The comment clearly stayed with Stiles. During her “DWTS” rehearsal, she even acknowledged that much of the dancing in “Save the Last Dance” was performed by a body double.
But instead of dwelling on the old criticism, Stiles decided to turn it into a goal for her time on “Dancing with the Stars.”
“We’re going to win the mirrorball, sit on Andy’s couch and be like, ‘Hey.’”
Sosa agreed, giving Stiles a high five.
Let’s be real, that would be quite the full-circle moment.
Derek Hough Sends Andy Cohen a Message
Stiles and Sosa then took the ballroom floor for their Quickstep to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” The pair earned 18/30 from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough.
After the performance, the judges shared their thoughts, but Hough had a little something extra to say. Rather than simply talking about Stiles and Sosa’s performance, Hough directly addressed Cohen.
“Andy Cohen, you can eat it.”
And there it was. Hough had officially entered the Andy Cohen conversation. He then told Stiles:
“That was beautiful, graceful. You are absolutely beaming. I love to see it.”
The whole moment felt much more playful than serious, especially since Stiles herself was clearly having fun with the history. Instead of allowing an old comment about her dancing to get in the way, she brought it with her to the ballroom and turned it into part of her “DWTS” story.
Honestly, it seems like that is exactly what made the moment so fun. Stiles wasn’t just trying to prove something to Cohen. She was embracing the fact that “Save the Last Dance” has followed her for years and finding a way to laugh about it while taking on an entirely new dance competition.
And now, of course, she has a whole season ahead of her to show what she can do.
Stiles and Sosa scored 18/30 and, after the public vote, survived Week 1 of the competition. It seems like the pair will have plenty of opportunities to keep improving as the season continues, and maybe even get a little closer to that Mirrorball Trophy.
As for Cohen, he may want to keep an eye on Stiles’ progress.
Because if she actually makes it to the end of the season with that trophy in hand, that trip to his couch is probably going to be pretty entertaining.
Season 35 of “Dancing with the Stars” returns next Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 8:00pm ET on ABC and Disney+ (streaming next day on Hulu) with Viral Hits Night.
