There have been so many memories shared about Dolly Parton over the past few weeks since the music legend passed away on August 25 at the age of 80. Dancing with the Stars offered its own tribute when Season 35 premiered on the 2026 TV schedule. That happened because Julia Stiles and her pro partner Ezra Sosa danced a quickstep to Parton’s “9 to 5,” and the actress revealed how the singer herself helped the number come together.
“9 to 5” is one of Dolly Parton’s most well-known songs, and it was written for the comedy of the same name in which Parton starred with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. The plan for Julia Stiles to open her DWTS journey with the iconic song was in the works before the singer’s death, as Stiles revealed on the second night of Season 35’s two-part premiere. She said:
It was only a couple weeks before Dolly passed that she approved this song specifically for me. I’m so honored to be dancing to her music and honoring her legacy, and I want to make her proud.
Thank goodness Dancing with the Stars was able to get one last request in to Dolly Parton, because the moment ended up serving as a beautiful tribute to the singer that had Julia Stiles’ fellow contestants in tears afterward.
I can only imagine how much it must have meant to the 10 Things I Hate About You star to know that Dolly Parton had cleared the song specifically for her to dance to, even if Parton wasn’t around to see her and Ezra Sosa’s performance. It’s yet another example — like that secret song that's locked away in a vault — that ensures Parton’s legacy is going to live on for a long, long time.
As for the dance itself, the judges had some technical critiques for Julia Stiles, which is to be expected after a first performance, but they all had lovely things to say about the actress. Carrie Ann Inaba called Stiles “radiant,” and Derek Hough said it was a “beautiful, fantastic dance,” adding:
Julia, it was beautiful, graceful, and you are absolutely beaming. I love to see it.
Derek Hough also said Andy Cohen could “Eat it,” after a clip was played of the Bravo host shading Julia Stiles’ dance moves last year, saying: “Can we all just agree that Julia Stiles is not the greatest dancer on the planet?”
Andy Cohen’s criticism was in regard to her 2001 movie Save the Last Dance, in which she plays a student at the Juilliard school of dance. Even Juilliard clarified that Julia Stiles was never enrolled at the school, after there seemed to be some confusion about whether or not she was classically trained.
Anyway, all roads lead back to Dolly Parton (as they should), and just as Parton was told she “couldn’t act” by the Steel Magnolias director, I’m excited to see Julia Stiles continue to grow on Dancing with the Stars. Thanks in part to Dolly Parton approving her song for the show, Stiles has one week under her belt.
Tune in to see how far Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa go when DWTS Season 35 continues at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, September 22, on live ABC and with a Disney+ subscription.
