If your real mom isn’t going to cheer you on during your debut on “Dancing With the Stars,” the next best thing is probably Allison Janney.
Tonya Harding was lucky enough to have the “I, Tonya” star as her special guest at the live season 26 premiere of “DWTS: Athletes” Monday night. You know, the actress who won a best supporting actress Oscar in March for her portrayal of the former Olympic skater’s mother, LaVona Golden.
Janney cheered on Harding during her performance alongside her companion for the evening, actress Mckenna Grace, who played a younger version of Harding in “I, Tonya,” and the film’s screenwriter, Steven Rogers.
“It was truly amazing,” Harding told reporters of the very special audience members after the show, according to Entertainment Weekly. “I asked them to come and they said, ‘Yes absolutely.’ So I was just like, ‘Yes! They can be here for my new beginning that was made from a fresh start from them.'”
“I, Tonya” starred Margot Robbie in the titular role and followed the skater’s personal life and career before and after the 1994 attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan, and Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly’s (Sebastian Stan) involvement in the hit.
See a picture of Janney, Grace, Harding and Farber above and Janney’s reserved seat below.
“Dancing With the Stars: Athletes” airs live Mondays at 8/7 c on ABC.
When Kim Kardashian was on Season 7 of "Dancing With the Stars," "Keeping up With the Kardashians" was just a year old, but it went on to become one of the most successful franchises in reality TV history.
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Mark Cuban
After his stint on Season 5 of "Dancing With the Stars," Cuban went from regular billionaire to famous billionaire when he became one of the investors on ABC's hit "Shark Tank."
"Dancing With the Stars'" most successful alums weren't even stars before they were on the show. Brother-sister duo Derek and Julianne Hough entered the show as professional dancers, but have since branched out into their own acting careers. Julianne also took on the role of judge on the show beginning with Season 19.
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Brooke Burke-Charvet
Brooke Burke-Charvet won the seventh season of ABC's reality competition series in 2008 then parlayed that success into a nine-season run as co-host of the show.
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Erin Andrews
Like Burke-Chavert before her, Andrews went from "DWTS" alum to co-host when she assumed the role for Season 18. Andrews also assumed several new roles as a sportscaster for Fox Sports.
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Lisa Rinna
Daytime soap vet Lisa Rinna competed in the second season of "DWTS," finishing in fourth place. Since then, she's gone on to a fruitful reality TV career, including her role as one of the regulars on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."
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Jennie Garth
"Beverly Hills, 90210" star Jennie Garth finished in fourth place on Season 5 of "DWTS," then went on to star in the CW's "90210" revival the following year.
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Candace Cameron Bure
"Full House" star took home the bronze in Season 18, then wrote a book about the experience, called "Dancing Through Life." She also serves as a host on the ABC daytime talk show "The View" and will star in the Netflix sequel series "Fuller House."
In 2009, Melissa Joan Hart competed on Season 9 of "Dancing With the Stars," and in 2010 she made her return to TV in ABC Family's "Melissa and Joey" alongside Joey Lawrence (who also competed in Season 3).
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Kellie Pickler
"American Idol" vet Kellie Pickler put her reality TV experience to use on Season 16, this time walking away a winner. In 2015, Pickler and her husband Kyle Jacobs scored a CMT reality series called "I Love Kellie Pickler."
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Alfonso Ribeiro
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" alum Alfonso Ribeiro won Season 19 of "Dancing With the Stars," then went on to take over for Tom Bergeron as host of "America's Funniest Home Videos" in 2015.
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Bobby Bones
The country-music radio host won Season 27 in fall 2018 despite landing the second lowest scores in the final 4 with partner Sharna Burgess -- and then parlayed that appearance into a full-time mentor role on ABC's "American Idol" reboot. He even subbed in as host in April 2019 when Ryan Seacrest was too sick to tape the live show.
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From Kim Kardashian to Alfonso Ribeiro, TheWrap takes a look at the celebrities who have gone on to bigger and better things
From Kim Kardashian to Alfonso Ribeiro, TheWrap takes a look at the celebrities who have gone on to bigger and better things.