Drag entertainer Shangela makes history as part of new ‘Dancing With the Stars’ cast
Shangela will make history in more ways than one with her turn in the next season of “Dancing With the Stars.”
The long-running television dance competition revealed Thursday that the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum will join its Season 31 cast.
“I feel so honored to be the first drag entertainer to compete on the show,” Shangela said on Instagram. “It’s about darn time!!!”
Shangela — who is D.J. Pierce out of drag — will also make up one half of the first ever all-male partnership in the show’s 17-year history. The “We’re Here” star will hit the stage with pro Gleb Savchenko.
“Seeing a drag queen with a male dancer is going to be something powerful,” the performer told USA Today on Thursday. “This is going to be a great space and an amazing platform to showcase that kind of representation.”
Jojo Siwa, the bubbly, dancing, 18-year-old mini-conglomerate who came out as LGBTQ+ this year, breaks a barrier on the long-running dance contest.
Internet star Jojo Siwa and her dance partner Jenna Johnson became the series’ first same-sex pairing last season.
Also joining Shangela for one of the series’ most inclusive casts are actors Selma Blair and Daniel Durant.
Blair is the latest “Dancing With the Stars” contestant who has been open about battling with multiple sclerosis. The “Legally Blonde” actor, who was diagnosed in 2018, follows Jack Osbourne. He made his “Dancing With the Stars” debut in 2013.
On Thursday, Blair told “Good Morning America” that the chance to join the long-running competition series is “so powerful to me.”
Selma Blair has opened up about her multiple sclerosis in her first interview since announcing her diagnosis in October.
“I’m feeling good and I’m really happy to give — to really do things that are pushing stamina and being visible,” she said. “I’m grabbing at every joy we have in life and this is one of them.”
The “Cruel Intentions” actor will partner with “Dancing With the Stars’” pro Sasha Farber.
Durant, who starred in Oscar winner “CODA,” follows model and fellow Gallaudet University alum Nyle DiMarco, who took home the grand prize in 2016, and his on-screen “CODA” mother and Oscar winner Marlee Matlin, who became the series’ first Deaf contestant in 2008.
Also a stage star, Durant will receive his coaching from Britt Stewart.
Other celebs set to show off their moves (or lack thereof) will be Wayne Brady, Charli D’Amelio and her mother, Heidi D’Amelio, “Real Housewives of New Jersey’s” Teresa Giudice, singer Jordin Sparks and “The Bachelorette’s” Gabby Windey. See the full cast list here.
The Emmy-winning “Dancing With the Stars” will stream starting Sept. 19 exclusively on Disney+, moving from its longtime home on ABC. Alfonso Ribeiro will join as the new-co-host alongside Tyra Banks.
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