Alysa Liu Gives A Quick Response To Whether She's Up To Compete On Dancing With The Stars

The Winter Olympics are over, but gold medalist Alysa Liu is still enjoying her time in the spotlight after going viral for her memorable figure skating performance. While she's seemingly already plotting her next performance on the ice, Hollywood is curious if another primetime appearance on the 2026 TV schedule is on the table via Dancing With The Stars.

Entertainment Tonight caught up with Liu at Vanity Fair's party at the 2026 Oscars, and wanted to know if she'd be willing to join fellow Olympians like Stephen Nedoroscik and many others as part of the ABC dancing series. Liu gave a refreshingly honest answer, even if it wasn't the one that people wanted:

Well, that's a bummer. Alysa Liu's viral performance to Pink Pantheress' "Stateside" caught on as a trend on TikTok, so I think she'd be a shoo-in for a deep run thanks to her surge in popularity. As Andy Richter proved last season, popularity can get you further than talent!

If Liu is off the table, it looks like Dancing With The Stars will have to target other Olympic athletes for its upcoming season. It may already be happening, considering that pro Rylee Arnold posted videos training with men's skiers Ilia Malinin and Danny O’Shea.

DWTS has had dozens of Olympians on the show, and six have won the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. It's a shame that Alysa Liu seems against the idea of competing on the show, but if she is serious about remaining in the competitive skating scene, I can see why she wouldn't commit. Every week on that show means another week she's not training or appearing at other tournaments, and with pro figure skaters typically retiring in their mid-20s, the 20-year-old may not have many years of competition left.

Given that, I would rule out her appearing on television years down the road, when the prospect of another gold medal is behind her. I don't blame her for thinking she still has awards to win after seeing how effortlessly she glided around the rink during the Winter Olympics, and I respect that maybe it's not the right time for a Dancing With The Stars appearance.

With that, we're still left wondering exactly who will be a part of Season 35 of Dancing With The Stars, which will premiere after a new spinoff series. The spinoff features professional dancers competing to be the next pro on the upcoming season, so I'm eager to see how it does and whether I'll enjoy it any more than the original show.

We can only wait and see, and prepare for Dancing With The Stars' eventual return to ABC and Disney+ this fall. Here's hoping Season 35's cast can live up to how great Season 34 was, and we get just as deserving a winner as Robert Irwin.