valentin chmerkovskiy said he was humbled after Ciara Miller named him as her dream Dancing With the Stars partner. The exchange landed after Miller was cast in season 35, turning a simple preference into a public casting conversation before the show’s return.
Ciara Miller’s June 5 ask
Ciara Miller said on May 4 that she had been campaigning for Val Chmerkovskiy, adding, "I don't know if they hear me, but yeah, sending out some emails, putting my word in. We'll see where everyone wants to place me." She also said she was excited to learn the cha cha, a waltz, and a box step.
At the 33rd Annual Race to Erase MS Gala on June 5, Chmerkovskiy answered the request directly: "First of all, I’m so humbled because I saw the Ciara video and there are things that I’m not allowed to disclose at this point in the off season." He added, "So, I felt bad. I wanted to say thank you because what a huge compliment it is to be shouted out that way."
Jenna Johnson weighs in
Jenna Johnson, his wife and a Dancing With the Stars pro, said she also thinks Miller could be a good match-up. "I wanna dance with one of them, honestly," Johnson said, referring to Miller and Maura Higgins. For viewers tracking the cast dynamic, that keeps Miller’s partner search public and informal rather than settled inside the show’s lineup.
Chmerkovskiy closed his response with a reminder that matters more than the flirtation around it: "So, thank you," but "I am not the one in charge of casting." That leaves Miller’s campaign as exactly what it sounded like on May 4, a push from a new contestant rather than a decision from inside the production office.
Season 35 casting chatter
Miller announced on April 22 that she was joining season 35, saying, "I had some unfinished business here in New York City that I needed to wrap up, but I am so excited to join season 35 of Dancing With the Stars," and, "I feel like this is the perfect moment. I feel like I'm opening a new chapter, and I'm so excited to share it with all of you guys. Can't wait to put my energy on the dance floor."
That timeline matters because Miller named her preferred partner after the casting announcement, not before it. Her public lobbying, Chmerkovskiy’s restrained reply, and Johnson’s willingness to talk about matchups show how the show’s pro-partner speculation can play out in public long before viewers see a dance floor.
