“Dancing With the Stars” returns for Season 35 with a premiere that pulls in about 6.7 million viewers on ABC and Disney+ (live plus same-day), according to preliminary Nielsen data. The premiere features only the male celebrity contestants and their professional partners, with the ladies’ routines scheduled for a later episode.
The outlets broadly agree the debut is substantially higher than the previous season’s premiere performance. Variety reports the premiere’s audience represents a 24% increase versus Season 34’s 5.4 million viewers in 2025, and describes the opener as the show’s best start in six years. Deadline similarly characterizes the premiere as gaining about a 24% boost in viewership.
While all sources focus on the strong early ratings, they differ slightly in emphasis: Variety highlights it as the best opener in six years, while Deadline underscores the episode’s structure (men competing first) alongside the audience gain. The Hollywood Reporter frames the outcome as the show “stays hot,” focusing more generally on the improvement versus last year’s debut.
