The professional dancer appeared on 17 seasons of ABC’s reality competition show.

Maks Chmerkovskiy reveals if he’ll ever return to DWTS — and the answer is quite surprising

The professional dancer appeared on 17 seasons of ABC’s reality competition show.

By Shelby Stivale

Shelby Stivale

Shelby Stivale is a senior writer at **. She has been working at EW since July 2026. Her work has previously appeared on Us Weekly and J-14.

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September 29, 2026 3:33 p.m. ET

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Debi Mazar and Maks Chmerkovskiy on ‘Dancing With the Stars’. Credit:

Adam Larkey/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

- Maks Chmerkovskiy addressed the possibility of returning to *Dancing With the Stars*.

- The professional dancer said he would “entertain” an offer from ABC.

- He competed for 17 seasons, departing the show in 2017.

Is there a world in which Maks Chmerkovskiy returns to *Dancing With the Stars*? He says yes.

“I want to remove all ego out of this,” the former *DWTS *pro told *Us Weekly* on Tuesday. “I will entertain the offer.”

Chmerkovskiy went on to say that he and wife Peta Murgatroyd have “huge plans” for their upcoming *Burn the Floor* tour, set to kick off in March 2027. So, he doesn’t know what the future might hold.

“It’s also possible that we’re not in a position to accept that anymore,” the professional dancer added. “But I will entertain the offer.”

Maks Chmerkovskiy attends ‘Wonder Man’ launch event in January.

Maya Dehlin Spach/Variety via Getty

Chmerkovskiy’s 17- season stint on *DWTS *came to an end in 2017 following the show’s 25th season. He initially took a step back from the reality competition series in 2012, but returned in 2016. (Chmerkovskiy took home the mirrorball trophy once, alongside Meryl Davis during season 18, throughout his tenure.)

“I decided to return to *DWTS* because I had an amazing time dancing with my brother this summer during our tour. It felt great,” Chmerkovskiy told *Us Weekly *at the time, referring to his brother Val Chmerkovskiy, who is currently competing on the show. “Getting back into shape allowed me to entertain this idea. I am in the best shape of my life, so why not spend a few months with my brother and the cast members and have fun!”

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However, his decision to part ways with the ABC series came after he and Murgatroyd started to grow their family. The couple, who wed in 2017, shares three sons: Shai, 9, Rio, 3, and Milan, 2. (Murgatroyd competed on *DWTS* for 15 seasons before she left after season 32 in 2023.)

“First and foremost, as a business side of things, I was on a contract that I extended a few times, but when it stopped being extended, it was a mutual decision,” Chmerkovskiy told *The Blast* in 2023, looking back at his time on the dance show. “The reality is that we just grew up.”

Tuesday’s interview was not the first time Chmerkovskiy discussed the possibility of a ballroom return. However, it seems he’s changed his tune since chatting with *Access Hollywood* in December 2025.

“I think the boat has sailed,” Chmerkovskiy said at the time. “I think my comeback is in the distant past.”

*Dancing With the Stars* airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu.

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Source: “EW Dancing”