“Dancing With the Stars” has tapped Jimmy Kimmel’s right-hand man Guillermo Rodriguez to join Season 35 of the ballroom competition series.
His boss announced Rodriguez’s addition to the dance series on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Wednesday. Rodriguez is best known for his antics on show, contributing on the late night program for over 23 years.
His pranks and sketches on the show have gone viral several times — everything from cross-country road trips to the Oscars red carpet. He was discovered in the parking lot, first working as a security guard on the ABC lot, and has since become a core tenant of the weeknight program.
Reality stars Ciara Miller and Maura Higgins were previously announced to be joining the dance competition series in April at Hulu’s Get Real event in Los Angeles. Both women competed on Peacock’s “The Traitors” and Miller just wrapped Season 10 of “Summer House” on Bravo.
The network revealed that Savannah Bananas standout Jackson Olson would also be joining the series at its upfronts presentation in May. The parody baseball team is known for their song and dance performances, and Olson has gone viral as one of the team’s leading internet personalities.
Olson’s casting on “Dancing With the Stars” comes as Disney expands their partnership with the Savannah Bananas as Disney+ becomes the U.S. the home of the Banana Bowl, which is set to stream this October.
The full cast of celebrities and their professional dancer partners will be announced Wednesday, Sept. 2 on Good Morning America.
“Dancing with the Stars” will simulcast live this fall across ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ahead of new episodes of “RJ Decker.” It will stream the next day on Hulu.
Season 34 of “Dancing With the Stars” saw an uptick in viewership, breaking records with the show’s best finale in 10 years. The season also scored 72 million votes for the finale and nearly half a billion votes overall. “Dancing with the Stars” finished Season 34 as the No. 1 entertainment series among adults 18-49 for the second year in a row, per Nielsen.
The ballroom competition series is produced in front of a live audience by BBC Studios.
