Ladies and gentlemen, it’s official! The pride and joy of The Bachelorette, Charity Lawson, has officially been announced as the second celebrity competing for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars.
Despite our prediction that Clayton Echard would compete on the forthcoming season of Dancing with the Stars, it looks like Charity will be taking on the ballroom on behalf of Bachelor Nation this fall, and we seriously can’t contain our excitement.
The news was announced live, just moments after The Bachelorette finale, during last night’s “After the Final Rose” episode. What made the announcement even more special was the fact that it came from Charity’s brand new fiancé, Dotun Olubeko — how sweet is that?
After host Jesse Palmer teased a special surprise, Dotun spilled the beans to Charity (and viewers), garnering a roaring applause from the live studio audience at the “After the Final Rose” event in Los Angeles:
“I know you like to cut up, you like to dance, and you like to get down… and you know that we’ve talked about this, about how amazing this opportunity would be, and I am so happy to be the one to tell you that you’re going to be on Dancing with the Stars.”
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight, Dotun dished about how exactly this surprise announcement came to be:
“I just knew two hours before. I had just learned about it in the dressing room. It’s something we’ve been talking [about] for weeks already, in terms of, ‘I would love for you to get it and I’m gonna be there supporting you right by you if you get it.’ For me to be able to give her that was awesome.”
Charity also shared with Entertainment Tonight her true feelings about hitting the Dancing with the Stars ballroom this fall:
“[I am] ready to learn it all, truly get my feet going… I am kind of nervous, but I think the whole thing is to go in with [an attitude that] this is going to be fun. Having fun with it kind of takes that pressure off. I mean, I don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”
If you are a Dancing with the Stars fan, you may remember that former Bachelorette Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy came in second place last season, falling short to TikTok superstar Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas during the finale.
Last night, Charity chatted with Gabby about her experience on the show, ultimately getting some advice from The Bachelorette and Dancing with the Stars veteran (with plans to discuss even more in the future):
“I talked to [Gabby] a little bit after the finale. We’re gonna hopefully get together soon and just have a good talk thorough about it all. She’s just so excited for me. She knows I’m gonna crush it. I hope I do.”
Charity is the second contestant set to compete on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars, with her announcement coming just weeks after Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix was confirmed as the first member of the cast.
With both Charity Lawson and Ariana Madix ready to hit the ballroom this fall, their fellow competitors will be announced live on Good Morning America on September 13, as well as their partners. Who do you want to see the former Bachelorette dance with?
After that, the show will air simultaneously on ABC and Disney Plus every Monday night from 8pm to 10pm ET (beginning on , and it is sure to be a season to remember. We can’t wait to have Charity on our screens all over again!