Julianne Hough Is Working With Brother Derek Hough on ‘World of Dance’, Won’t Be Returning to ‘DWTS’

The stunning Julianne Hough returned to the Dancing With the Stars judges’ panel for one episode last November — and it was so great to have her back at the time. Fans missed Julianne all of Season 25 after she decided she would not be returning to the hit dancing competition. And now, she’s revealed that she’s currently working on World of Dance with her older brother, Derek Hough.

And she’s been loving the new opportunity so far! “There’s actually a couple of people that were on our tour that are now doing [World of Dance],” she explained to Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, March 6. “It’s so amazing when you can see people that you’ve worked with [before] and just see them grow and, like, blossom into these incredible dancers or whoever they want to become. There’s like a proud mama feeling; ‘Oh, you were such a baby, and look at you now!’ It’s so awesome.”

Julianne especially loves working with her brother, whom she’s worked with in the past on DWTS. “Derek’s amazing,” she gushed. “He’s so creative and has this chaotic mind that goes like 100 mph, and I get his language, so I can be his translator sometimes. He’s so so brilliant [and] we also just feed off of each other… we’re a good blend and a [good] mix.”

When asked if this new adventure would mean she’s not returning to the all-athlete DWTS season airing on April 30, she replied, “So many things are happening. Obviously, dancing has always been my family. I was on it, I left for a little while, I came back. So, who knows what will transpire [in the future]. But as of right now, I’m focusing on that show [Blackpool], my acting, and then my music. That’s really sort of my focus right now.”

Julianne’s confession comes as no surprise since after her DWTS appearance last fall, she didn’t really convince fans she’d be coming back. “I’m not sure, as of now there’s no plans, but we’ll see,” she replied when asked if she’d return for good. “Dancing With the Stars is my family and you always come back to family, right?”

Back in September, Julianne revealed she wouldn’t be returning for Season 25 of DWTS. “Right now, I wanted to take some time and focus on my acting and kind of get back on that path,” she told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “I’m really excited, you know? This is a different chapter. I’m 29 and I feel like I’m sort of coming into my own.” She added, “I know that if I keep doing [the same thing] I’m doing that I’m gonna wake up in a couple years and be like, ‘Oh man, I wish I would’ve done [something else] when I really wanted to do it.’ It was really hard, but I wanted to make that choice.”

But don’t worry, Julianne still tunes in to the popular dance competition even though she’s no longer on. “I do miss the show. But what’s really fun is, I’m a fan, just like everybody who watches,” she confessed. “I watch the show now that I’m home and, you know, I have favorites and everything. Which is great because I could never really have favorites. I had to really kind of separate that [as a judge].” Here’s hoping she returns to the ballroom one day!