Is Carrie Ann Inaba Returning to DWTS Season 35?

Yes, Carrie Ann Inaba is expected back as a judge for Dancing with the Stars Season 35. Current Season 35 coverage lists Carrie Ann alongside Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli as the returning judging panel, with ABC also scheduling an official judges-and-hosts announcement on Good Morning America for September 1. Her return would extend one of the longest runs in DWTS history: Carrie Ann has been at the judges’ table since the show’s first season in 2005. Despite occasional absences from individual broadcasts over the years, she has never permanently left the American series, and there has been no credible indication that Season 35 will change that.

How long has Carrie Ann Inaba been a DWTS judge?

Carrie Ann has judged Dancing with the Stars since the series premiered in June 2005.

That makes her one of only two remaining original judges, alongside Bruno Tonioli. The original panel also included Len Goodman, who remained an important part of the competition for most of its first three decades before retiring after Season 31.

Carrie Ann has therefore watched the show move through several different eras. She judged professional dancers who have since retired, watched former pros such as Derek Hough move onto the panel and remained through major changes in hosts, networks and streaming distribution.

Related: Who Won DWTS: The Next Pro? Adele Zaikman Joins Season 35

Few television competition judges have remained associated with one show for that long.

Why were some fans unsure whether Carrie Ann would return?

Much of the uncertainty comes from ABC waiting until September 1 to formally spotlight the Season 35 judges and hosts.

The network has spent months revealing pieces of the upcoming season individually. Celebrity contestants were announced gradually, Witney Carson revealed Guillermo Rodriguez as her partner, Sharna Burgess confirmed her long-awaited return, and The Next Pro finale supplied another professional dancer when Adele Zaikman won the competition.

Because ABC deliberately held the official judges-and-hosts reveal until the day before the full cast announcement, viewers had room to wonder whether the delay meant a change was coming.

Current reporting, however, points toward continuity rather than a judging shakeup.

Are Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli returning too?

Yes, the current Season 35 lineup also has Derek and Bruno returning alongside Carrie Ann. Derek joined the judging panel in Season 29 after becoming the most successful professional dancer in DWTS history with six Mirrorball wins. His ballroom background gives him a different perspective from Carrie Ann, particularly when discussing choreography, technique and the decisions professional partners make for their celebrities.

Bruno, meanwhile, has been part of DWTS from the beginning. He previously balanced the American series with Britain’s Strictly Come Dancing before eventually stepping away from Strictly while continuing with DWTS.

The trio has now become the show’s established post-Len Goodman judging panel.

Could Carrie Ann still miss individual episodes?

Yes. Being part of the permanent Season 35 panel does not guarantee that Carrie Ann will physically appear in every broadcast.

DWTS has occasionally had judges miss episodes because of illness or other circumstances, with guest judges or temporary adjustments filling the gap. Carrie Ann herself has had occasional absences during her long tenure. That is different from leaving the series.

Unless ABC announces otherwise, she should be considered one of the three regular Season 35 judges. A one-night absence later in the season would not mean she had been replaced.

Who else is returning for DWTS Season 35?

The judging panel is only one part of a Season 35 lineup that mixes familiar faces with significant returns.

Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough are expected back as co-hosts. Witney Carson is returning as a professional after winning Season 34 with Robert Irwin, and she has already been paired with Guillermo Rodriguez.

Sharna Burgess is also returning to competition after five years away, creating one of the season’s most notable professional comebacks.

The newest addition is Adele Zaikman, who earned her professional position by winning Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro.

Related: Who Is Adele Zaikman’s DWTS Season 35 Partner? Is She Dancing With Conner Leavitt?

The full celebrity and pro pairings will be revealed on September 2, which means the biggest Season 35 questions are about to shift away from the judging table and toward who everyone will actually be dancing with.

For Carrie Ann, however, Season 35 appears to be another continuation rather than a comeback. More than 20 years after judging the first DWTS season, she remains one of the people most closely associated with the ballroom.