Judge Biography

Emmy® Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Derek Hough started dancing in his hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah, at age 11. Just one year later, he moved to London to live and train with the top dance coaches in the world and attend the prestigious Italia Conti performing arts school where he studied theater, music and dance.

As a three-time Emmy Award winner and 11-time nominee, Hough is the most-nominated male choreographer in Television Academy history. He has also appeared in film, television and stage projects as an actor. He made his feature film debut for director Duane Adler and producer Robert Cort in the feature film "Make Your Move" and had a recurring role on the ABC series "Nashville." His stage performances include Radio City Music Hall's "Spring Spectacular" costarring alongside the Tony Award®-winning Laura Benanti and the critically acclaimed production of "Footloose" which he starred as the male lead in London's West End. In December 2016, Hough starred with Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Martin Short and Harvey Fierstein in NBC's "Hairspray Live!"

In 2020, Hough joined the hit ABC series "Dancing with the Stars" as part of the judging panel alongside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Toniolo. A multitalented entertainer and the only six-time champion in franchise, Hough had previously performed on the show as a pro-dancer. His Mirrorball wins came with celebrity partners that included Brooke Burke, Jennie Garth, Ricki Lake, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler, Amber Riley, Amy Purdy and Bindi Irwin.

In May 2017, Hough joined Jennifer Lopez and Ne-Yo at the judges table for the NBC series "World of Dance." The show, which he was part of for four seasons, launched as the highest-rated summer show in over 10 years and was the unparalleled dance competition that featured solo artists competing against duos and crews in all genres of dance, including hip-hop, tap, ballet, break dancing, ballroom and more competing for a million-dollar prize.

Hough can also add bestselling author to his list of credits. His memoir, "Taking the Lead; Lessons from a Life in Motion," hit stands in August 2014 and rapidly was named to the prestigious New York Times Best Seller list during two nonconsecutive time periods.

In 2014, Hough and his sister Julianne teamed for a live stage dance concert "MOVE Live on Tour," performing in 50 cities around the country; in 2015 they toured again selling out scores of venues on their 47-city outing. In 2017, they again performed a sold-out tour of 48 cities around the United States with their show "Move – Beyond – Live on Tour." In 2019, Hough completed his first solo national tour, "Derek Hough Live: The Tour," which visited nearly 60 cities around the country.

Fans around the world have flocked to Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, to catch Hough in "Derek Hough: No Limit." This critically acclaimed residency at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas debuted in September 2021 and continues starting May 2022.