Rick Perry to Compete on ‘Dancing With the Stars’
Former Texas governor paired with professional dancer Emma Slater
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry will shed his cowboy boots for dancing shoes for the next season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”
The full cast for Season 23, which premieres on Sept. 12, was announced on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. Perry will be paired with dancer Emma Slater, a five-time contestant.
Earlier Tuesday, Perry made an appearance on “Fox & Friends” — ostensibly to talk presidential politics — but was asked about his news first.
Because the official announcement was to come later in the morning, Perry would not confirm that he would be a contestant: “I think it would be rude for me to, say, go to a different channel at 9 o’clock Eastern time,” he said.
Asked if he feared that something could go “terribly wrong” if he were to go on the show, the former presidential candidate said, “I would keep my work pretty serious if I were to do that.”
Thousands tweeted similar sentiments…
If the first song Rick Perry dances to on #DWTS isn’t “Oops…I Did It Again” it will be a sad day for America.
— Aaron Sankin (@ASankin) August 30, 2016
Perry said he was in New York for his daughter to get her wedding gown “finalized.”
“If this rumor is true, it would be a great thing to know how to dance at your daughter’s wedding,” he said.
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The former presidential hopeful will compete against singer Vanilla Ice, former football player Calvin Johnson, race car driver James Hinchcliffe, Olympians Laurie Hernandez and Ryan Lochte, and “Brady Bunch” actress Maureen McCormick, among others.
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay competed on the show in 2009.
