‘Dancing With The Stars’ Judge Derek Hough: ‘Find a Role Model or a Mentor’
…I think it’s also about finding good mentors, good people, and role models to look at and see how they do it. A fast track in the way to get to where you want to go is just to model yourself on somebody else, how they do it, and what they do. That way it gives you a bit of a blueprint or a roadmap on how to achieve what you want to achieve. I think what happens with us is that we think ‘I’m not good enough, I’ll never make it, I’ll never achieve that.’ I think the biggest thing I would say is, ‘You are enough. You really are. You always have been and you always be!’ So, remember this when you are doubting yourself!…
When we watch the magic movements of dancer, choreographer, and Dancing with the Stars judge Derek Hough, it becomes crystal clear we are witnessing an extraordinary talent.
The 39-year-old recently teamed up with Pepcid to encourage a little “Chilling with Pepcid.” When life gets busy, Hough winds down with a snacking and streaming session at the end of the day — and thanks to Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint, he doesn’t have to worry about heartburn getting in the way while he’s chilling out.
The award-winning Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer, was a pro dancer on Dancing with the Stars, winning the show a record-breaking six times with his celebrity partners. For his work, he received 14 nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards; winning four times.
He also served as a judge on the NBC dance competition series, World of Dance from 2017 to 2020, starred in the movie, Make Your Move, and had a recurring role in ABC’s TV show Nashville. In 2016, he appeared as Corny Collins in NBC’s live musical TV production of Hairspray Live.
Hough and his longtime girlfriend Hayley Erbert were married in August 2023, and he said life is very sweet. The couple is happily raising their dogs, who they affectionately call their “fur babies.”
If somebody wants to go on Dancing with the Stars, either as a pro or as a celebrity, what do’s and don’ts do you have for them?
Primarily, for celebrities it’s about just showing interest, to be on the show, enthusiasm, and desire to be on the radar of casting director Deena Katz. And making sure that you’re prepared.
As far as a pro dancer, make sure you’re doing the work, you’re prepared. People have had the opportunity to be on the show but they weren’t ready for it. So, they only were on there for one season and then they got let go. Also, make sure that you’re doing the training, your preparation’s there, so when you do get the opportunity you’re ready for it.
How did you and Pepcid get together?
Well, you know, it’s funny. People often always ask me with my busy schedule what I’m doing, on my tours or on Dancing with the Stars how do I relax and how do I chill after a long day? One of the things I like to do is snack and stream, like everybody else. I go home, watch my favorite show, eat a bunch of snacks.
My favorite is popcorn, honestly. Sometimes it doesn’t quite agree with me. To manage my heartburn, I rely on Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint. It works fast, it lasts all night, unlike antacids. It gives you that instant cooling sensation, which is fantastic. I kind of call it my ‘chilling with Pepcid at the end of the day,’ and it works great.
Also, when I go on tour, before I do a show there’s nothing worse than having that burning sensation before you go out there to sing or to host. It’s just an awful feeling. It’s a great partnership working with them and working out the balance. It’s all about balance.
Well, that leads to the importance of a balanced, healthy lifestyle. What do you do to make sure that you are bringing healthy foods on the road or in your dressing room?
Yes, when I’m on the road I have a relatively boring diet. It’s the same pretty much every single day. Just so I have the consistency to go out there and perform every single night. However, at night, especially when I have days off, I like to enjoy myself and have my snacks, my peanut M&Ms, my red dragon [candy], my popcorn, and my chips and salsa. The Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint comes in handy on those nights.
Being a dancer is being an athlete. I think that we’re artistic athletes. We have to treat ourselves as such, with high-performance training, stretching, strength conditioning, and diet. Hydration is so, so, so important. I think like 8 percent of American people are dehydrated. So, the amount of hydration that I need throughout the day to perform is crazy. Lots of things have to be in alignment to go out there and perform at a high level.
Especially at the level in which you perform.
I’m pushing 40, so, For me I kind of take that as a challenge because being told my whole life that a dancer’s shelf life is short, I kind of like to defy the odds in that way and take that on as a challenge. You know what? I think there are a lot of things in this life that we can do to have longevity in this career. So far, so good.
I am curious, where do you physically keep your four Primetime Emmy Awards?
I have them hanging above my bed in a circle like a beautiful, rotating sculpture. [He joked]. I’m just kidding. They’re actually in my music room, like an office, with my piano. They’re tucked away, though. They’re not obnoxiously laid out when you walk in.
How difficult or easy is it to get together with your extremely talented sister, Julianne, and other family members, especially on the holidays? Are there certain holiday things that you must do or want to do?
For me, this holiday season is going to be really hard because I’m going to be on tour. I will be on the road putting on a holiday Christmas show in 40 cities. So, it’s going to be a little tough to get together. However, yeah, it’s interesting because having our family I used to always go to Park City with my dad, where he lives, and the snow and the mountains.
For me being from Utah that feels like Christmas to me. But it’s also I’m at a different phase in my life now, too, where now I’ve just gotten married last year. Now having my own family that I’m sort of creating right now they’re just a fur family with five animals but family nonetheless. It’s always been a really special time of the year.
What was it like to attend the recent Emmy Awards?
It’s awesome. One of my favorite things about going to the Emmys is seeing — especially the Creative Arts Emmys. I go to that every year, which is a week before the primetime ones. I love seeing all the crew. The makeup, the hair, the lighting, the set designers. I love being able to see all the people who make the show happen and to celebrate them.
I have a feud with Jimmy Kimmel now who’s calling me out saying that I’ve got more Emmys than him, and he’s pretty bitter about it. I found him at the party afterward and told him if we wanted to duke it out, we could duke it out. But it was fun, it was cool. It was cool to see him and his wife, Molly. It’s always a fun time for television. Television, honestly, it’s incredible right now. It is also funny how it’s a network show just celebrating streaming shows
What are you streaming these days? What do you recommend?
I watched Shogun, which swept the Emmys, and it is incredible. I love Only Murders in the Building; it is such a fun show. I just watched The Perfect Couple and House of the Dragon. Which was incredible. I just started watching The Bear. Lots of good stuff.
Without spoilers, what should we be looking forward to in Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars?
There is a special performance that’s going to happen in the next about four weeks, so I’m looking forward to that. We have some really fun theme nights that are happening.
Speaking of awards, I believe one of the nights I think is going to be Oscar Night, which is going to be fun. It’s going to be a jam-packed season. I’ve seen the schedule and it’s like okay, here we go, Season 33 will be bigger and better than ever. The cast has been fantastic, so looking forward to seeing what they’re going to bring to it.
What was the dream growing up of your career versus the reality of what you’re doing? How do they compare?
I mentioned this earlier, but you know when you’re a kid you sort of envision being like a rock star or something on stage, you’re playing air guitar and you’re jumping up and down on your bed or something just kind of having fun and imagining yourself in front of thousands of people.
It’s kind of crazy how I’ve been able to sort of live out that childhood dream. But dancing was the vehicle, was the thing that put me on that stage. So, it’s cool to sort of be out there, go on tour in front of hundreds of thousands of people performing, and dance being the star of it, which is pretty incredible.
I would never have imagined, honestly, being on a television show that has been around for almost 20 years going strong. And, again, dance is the star of the show. I would never have guessed that. Ever. So, honestly, it’s exceeded my dreams. I don’t think I could have imagined these types of opportunities. It’s been a special journey
What advice do you have for someone who watches you and says, “I want to do that and I know it’s going to be a difficult career, but I still want to do that?”
I would just say that nothing can replace putting in the hard work, going in, putting in the training, and leaning into discipline and work ethic. We hear the word discipline and we get kind of like ugh, but discipline for me has given me so much freedom. Putting in those hours and training has given me now just so many amazing opportunities. I think for me my advice would be just to put in the work, that’s it.
Please tell me more about this.
I think it’s also about finding good mentors, good people, and role models to look at and see how they do it. A fast track in the way to get to where you want to go is just to model yourself on somebody else, how they do it, and what they do. That way it gives you a bit of a blueprint or a roadmap on how to achieve what you want to achieve.
I think what happens with us is that we think ‘I’m not good enough, I’ll never make it, I’ll never achieve that.’ I think the biggest thing I would say is, ‘You are enough. You really are. You always have been and you always be!’ So, remember this when you are doubting yourself!
