When is ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Disney Night? Season 35’s schedule change explained
From ‘Saw’ to ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula,’ ‘Dancing With the Stars’ spent Halloween week bringing horror movies into the ballroom. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson earned 40 out of 40 for their ‘Saw’-inspired contemporary on October 27. The episode also ended with two couples leaving: Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, and Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess. The double exit followed Dedication Night, when no one was eliminated. Co-host Alfonso Ribeiro also used the broadcast to announce a change for Disney Night.
Disney Night will air Monday, November 2, from 8–10 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. That puts Season 35’s next themed episode one day ahead of its Tuesday slot. Viewers watching on television can tune in to ABC, while Disney+ will carry the episode live. Ribeiro announced the schedule change during the October 27 broadcast ahead of the remaining couples’ return to the ballroom.
The reason for the switch is ABC’s midterm election coverage on Tuesday, November 3. The network will air ‘ABC News Election Night: Vote 2026’ from 8–11 p.m. ET, taking over the competition’s usual broadcast window. There will be no new ‘Dancing With the Stars’ episode that Tuesday. The competition is moving up by a day that week, while its two-hour running time stays the same.
As for what’s coming to the ballroom, eight couples remain following the Halloween double elimination. Each pair will perform a routine set to a song from a Disney movie. Team dances are also returning, with the contestants splitting into two groups to perform freestyle team routines. Ribeiro and co-host Julianne Hough will each join one of those routines, putting both hosts on the dance floor alongside the competitors. That gives the remaining pairs both their own Disney number and a team routine to prepare.
The judging panel will have a guest, too. Cynthia Erivo will join Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli as the episode’s fourth judge. Erivo has a Disney connection through her role as the Blue Fairy in Disney’s 2022 live-action ‘Pinocchio.’ She also stars as Elphaba Thropp in Universal Pictures’ ‘Wicked.’
After Disney Night, Season 35 returns to Tuesdays on November 10 for Grammy Night. The semifinals follow on November 17. The finale is scheduled for November 24, rounding out the remaining November episodes. For viewers following the competition through its final weeks, November 2 is the one Monday date to remember.
