Andy Cohen has spent years putting reality stars in situations where cameras catch almost everything, but there is one part of his own life he would rather keep away from competition television, his dancing.
The Watch What Happens Live host revealed that Dancing With the Stars approached him “many, many, many years ago,” but he turned down the opportunity. “I can’t dance on TV. No one wants to see that,” Cohen said in an interview with Variety published August 25.
Cohen does dance when he is off the clock, particularly at Grateful Dead and Dead & Company shows. The problem, he explained, is what can happen once someone in the crowd points a phone at him. Cohen said videos of his moves have ended up on TikTok, where people have mocked him.
His preference now is considerably simpler than weeks of rehearsals and a run at the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. “Let me dance in peace,” Cohen said. He did not suggest that DWTS has approached him again for its upcoming 35th season.
Cohen’s Dancing Has Already Gone Viral Without ‘DWTS’
@sammiko90 Andy Cohen’s got the 411 #deadandco #bravo #sphere #andycohen ♬ original sound – SammiKo90
Cohen was not speaking hypothetically when he complained about having his concert dancing documented.
In 2024, a candid TikTok video of him dancing at a Dead & Company concert at the Sphere in Las Vegas accumulated more than 1 million views. Wearing tie-dye, Cohen could be seen dancing enthusiastically and occasionally playing air guitar from a private box.
When the clip resurfaced months after the concert, Cohen reposted it to his Instagram Story. “Not sure why this is going around,” he wrote, before adding, “TAKE ME BACK!”
“I used to be the greatest freeform dancer,” Cohen told Variety. “And I feel like every time I go to Dead shows, people film me dancing, and then I get made fun of on TikTok.”
His Grateful Dead Fandom Goes Back to High School
Cohen’s connection to the music behind those viral dance clips goes back decades. In an August interview with NPR, he said he became a Deadhead while he was in high school around 1985, when his friend group moved from listening to Pink Floyd into the Grateful Dead.
He eventually stopped attending as many concerts after his career and move to New York made traveling to shows more difficult, but he continued listening to the band’s music.
The live experience returned to the center of his life when he attended the Grateful Dead’s 2015 Fare Thee Well concerts with his friend John Mayer, shortly before Mayer became part of Dead & Company.
Cohen remembered hearing the band at Levi’s Stadium and suddenly feeling like he was 18 again. “I was dancing, my body was moving in a way that I had not physically moved in so many years,” he told NPR, describing the experience as feeling “reawakened” and “reborn.”
‘The Traitors’ Doesn’t Look Much More Likely
Dancing With the Stars was not the only reality competition Cohen discussed with Variety. He also addressed whether he might eventually become a contestant on Peacock’s The Traitors, where he currently hosts the reunion specials.
“They haven’t asked me,” Cohen said. Even if an invitation eventually arrived, he sees several problems with accepting it. “First of all, I think I would be eliminated immediately,” he said, reasoning that his long career producing unscripted competition television would make other contestants immediately suspicious of him.
Cohen predicted he would be “such a target” and questioned who would want someone with his experience in their cast. There is also a more practical conflict. “I host the reunion, which I would like to keep doing,” Cohen explained. “I don’t think I could do that if I were on it.”
Bravo Stars Keep Taking Their Chances in the Ballroom
Cohen may have passed on the ballroom, but personalities from the Bravo universe have repeatedly accepted the challenge. Teresa Giudice, Kenya Moore, Lisa Vanderpump, Erika Jayne and Phaedra Parks have all competed on Dancing With the Stars. Vanderpump Rules alum Ariana Madix went considerably further, reaching the Season 32 finale and finishing third.
The Bravo connection will continue in Season 35. Summer House star Ciara Miller was one of the first contestants officially announced for the new season alongside Love Island and The Traitors star Maura Higgins.
ABC has also officially announced Savannah Bananas player and social media personality Jackson Olson and longtime Jimmy Kimmel Live! personality Guillermo Rodriguez. Rodriguez has already been paired with returning professional Witney Carson.
Page Six has additionally reported that Save the Last Dance star Julia Stiles is joining the cast. The complete celebrity and professional dancer lineup is scheduled to be unveiled September 2 on Good Morning America.
Season 35 Begins With a Two-Night Premiere
Cohen’s revelation comes as Dancing With the Stars prepares for a season that is already bringing back some familiar faces.
Sharna Burgess announced August 24 that she will return as a competing professional dancer for the first time since Season 30 in 2021. She previously won the Mirrorball Trophy with Bobby Bones in Season 27.
Season 35 will also gain a professional dancer through ABC’s new spinoff, Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro. Its three finalists: Adele Zaikman, AJ Pritchard and Selena Hamilton are competing for the remaining position in the ballroom. The winner will be decided during the August 31 finale.
ABC has scheduled Dancing With the Stars Season 35 to begin with a two-night premiere on Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET. Both nights will air on ABC and stream live on Disney+, with episodes available the following day on Hulu.