Mark Ballas, 36, is ending his run on Dancing with the Stars. The professional dancer revealed he’s exiting the popular competition series after 20 seasons, during the last DWTS tour stop in Las Vegas, NV on Sunday. An attendee shared a video of the moment on Twitter and it received a lot of reactions from fans.
“I’ve done 20 seasons now. I started this journey when I was 21, 22 and honestly being able to dance and perform for you fans — you guys are the best fans,” Mark said while on stage. He also mentioned that his family was in the audience.
“My mom is here tonight, my dad is here tonight, my wife is here tonight, my wife’s mom and dad are here tonight,” he shared. “I just want to finish this by saying that this will be the last time you see me dance in this capacity. I’m coming to a close tonight. This is going to be my last dance.”
Mark also gave a shoutout to his former dancing partner, Charli D’Amelio, who won the latest season of DWTS with him in Nov. 2022. “Charli means the world to me. D’Amelio family, you guys mean the world to me. Thank you for everything,” he said. “Thank you guys for a lifetime of memories. I appreciate it. I’m not saying this is the end. This is just the last time I’ll be dancing with a partner.”
After Mark made the surprising announcement, fellow DWTS professional dancer Emma Slater brought out the entire cast of the show to celebrate Mark and his impressive work. “Mark, we love you so much,” she said. “Look at all the cast coming out to see you. Such a champion. I don’t think Dancing with the Stars would have been the same without this guy right here.”
Mark’s news comes after her joined DWTS in 2007 and competed with various guest celebrities over the course of many seasons. Some of them included Kim Kardashian, Candace Cameron Bure, and Kristin Cavallari. He also won the competition twice, first with Kristi Yamaguchi, and then with Shawn Johnson. He left the show after season 25 but returned in 2022 after being away for five seasons.