Dancing With the Stars airs “Dedication Night” tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 8:00 to 10:01 p.m. EDT, live on ABC and Disney+, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu. Ten remaining couples perform routines honoring the people and places that shaped them, Kym Johnson returns as guest judge, and Jenna Dewan will dance with a new partner after Val Chmerkovskiy’s one-week suspension. Here is everything to know before the music starts.
What time is DWTS on, and how do you watch Dedication Night?
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT (7:00-9:01 p.m. CDT), simulcast live on ABC and Disney+ in local time zones, per ABC’s official press release. If you miss it live, the episode streams the next day on Hulu and for Hulu on Disney+ subscribers. Note for weekly viewers: this week’s episode lands on Tuesday, not Monday.
What is Dedication Night?
One of the show’s signature theme weeks: the 10 remaining couples each perform a routine dedicated to an influential person or place in their lives, usually the emotional high point of the season. Former pro Kym Johnson returns to the ballroom as guest judge. Confirmed dedications from ABC’s release:
- Jackson Olson and Emma Slater: Quickstep to “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole, dedicated to his mom Laura
- Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa: Contemporary to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli, dedicated to Heath Ledger
- Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson: Foxtrot to “Stop This Train” by John Mayer
Why is Jenna Dewan dancing with a different partner?
Her regular partner Val Chmerkovskiy is sitting this one out. The show suspended him for one week over a since-deleted TikTok post that referenced Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars altercation while defending his wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, from judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s critique. Chmerkovskiy apologized on Instagram, saying Carrie Ann “certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment.” We covered the full suspension story here. In his place, Dewan will perform with pro Alan Bersten in a number dedicated to her mother, per NBC News. Her fiance Steve Kazee publicly backed her ahead of the show. Chmerkovskiy is expected back next week.
The road to Dedication Night
- September 2026: The new DWTS season premieres on ABC and Disney+.
- Last week: Chmerkovskiy posts the TikTok status after Inaba’s critique of Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.; he deletes it, but the show suspends him for one week on Saturday, Oct. 17.
- Oct. 14: ABC announces the Dedication Night lineup and Kym Johnson’s return.
- Oct. 20, 8 p.m. EDT: Dedication Night airs live; Dewan dances with Alan Bersten.
- Next week: Chmerkovskiy’s one-week suspension ends.
What this means for viewers
Set the reminder for Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, not the usual Monday slot, and expect the season’s most emotional night: dedication packages historically produce the big waterworks moments and some of the highest scores. The Dewan-Bersten pairing is the storyline to watch: a rehearsed-on-short-notice routine, live, in front of a guest judge. If you’re catching up on the season, episodes are on Hulu the day after air, so you have until tomorrow evening to binge the season’s first weeks. And yes, there is still an elimination: Dedication Night is episode 3507, deep enough into the season that every vote counts, so if you have a favorite, voting during the live show matters.
Our analysis: a theme week doing double duty
Dedication Night arrives at a useful moment for the show. The Chmerkovskiy suspension dominated the DWTS conversation this weekend, and rather than dodge it, the broadcast leans into what DWTS does best: personal storytelling. Pairing Dewan with Bersten, one of the show’s most reliable emergency partners, turns a disciplinary headache into must-watch television, and bringing back Kym Johnson adds a nostalgia note for long-time fans at exactly the right time. The Julia Stiles dedication to Heath Ledger, her 10 Things I Hate About You co-star, is the kind of cross-generational moment that clips well the next morning. If the night lands, expect ABC to point to it as proof the show can absorb off-screen controversy without losing its audience.
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