Julianne Hough, Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold on 'Dancing with the Stars' season 34. Disney/Eric McCandless Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text Rylee Arnold knows her way around the Dancing with the Stars ballroom. But she also knows a thing or two about TikTok. And there's no denying she's influenced the show's recent resurgence that's been majorly boosted by the social media platform. After joining the series in 2023 as one of the youngest pro dancers in the show's history at 18-years-old (while currently standing as the youngest member of the recurring cast), Arnold began documenting her journey on DWTS for her TikTok audience. "I was super motivated to do day in the life [and] get ready with me [style videos] to talk about this experience, because it isn't talked about enough," she tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I feel like that really, really picked up and resonated with the rest of the pros, with the show, with people online and we really got together a younger demographic of people." Related Stories TV 'Monday Night Football' Livestream: When and Where to Watch Tonight's NFL Doubleheader Online TV 'RJ Decker' Private Eye Drama Starring Scott Speedman a Go at ABC So, who better to speak on DWTS' very first "TikTok Night" than Arnold? Below, THR chats with the pro dancer about the role she played in attracting a younger audience to the show, why DWTS finally caught up with the times and began casting social media stars, how she navigates the many opinions of viewers who are obsessed with the competition and her favorite trend from this season (so far). *** It feels like the prevalence of social media, specifically TikTok, has revamped Dancing with the Stars and brought it into this new modern era. Would you agree? Oh for sure. I think TikTok has become literally a part of Dancing with the Stars. I think it's a perfect way to showcase who these partnerships are, what our relationships are like, what this show is about and the BTS of it all. Because it's hard to only see a show once a week and get engaged with it. But because we have TikTok, people are able to get into our life to see how it all goes down. And I think [TikTok is] such a cool way to share that. Is there a specific moment or season you can pinpoint where social media changed Dancing with the Stars? When I first had my season as a pro on season 32, that's when it really started. I remember when I came into the show, I just posted silly TikToks just for fun. I was super motivated to do day in the life [and] get ready with me [style videos] to talk about this experience, because it isn't talked about enough. And I feel like that really, really picked up and resonated with the rest of the pros, with the show, with people online, and we really got together a younger demographic of people, and the people who go on TikTok every day, they [saw] the Dancing with the Stars content. It only brought more young people to the show. And then the next season, Ezra [Sosa] came on [as a pro dancer] and did the same thing. He just incorporated so much TikTok into everything, did so many behind the scenes things - he really got so engaged and involved, and I think really just kind of showed that people love it. People love when we share stuff online. Rylee Arnold from Dancing with the Stars Disney/Andrew Eccles When Charli D'Amelio was cast on the show in [season 31], that was a pretty shocking moment, not because she wasn't worthy of taking up a spot, but it felt like Dancing with the Stars was finally coming around to this new avenue of celebrity, which is social media stars. Do you think Charli's casting was also a defining moment that changed the course of Dancing with the Stars? Oh, for sure. I think that was such a smart move to have Charli on the show. She was so amazing and she is such a big TikTok star, so that was honestly so perfect. And I think it just, again, brought all of her fans and the people that love her to come and watch the show, and then they stuck around because it was super fun and exciting to watch. I think she made a huge change in the whole demographic of bringing younger people to the show and also involving TikTok, because she did so well, she won. As a pro dancer, what do you think shifted for the powers that be at Dancing with the Stars to begin casting more social media stars? I think they just saw that a lot of us were bringing in the younger demographic. I think that was something Dancing with the Stars had a hard time [navigating]. I remember when my sister [Lindsay Arnold] was on [the pro cast], she always told me, "It's always the old ladies watching Dancing with the Stars," which I love and I think is so amazing. I, as a dancer, watched Dancing with the Stars when I was super young, but that's what she would always say to me. And now sud