Dancing With The Stars' Julianne Hough Details The Season 7 Emergency That Sent Her To The ER In An I Love Lucy Costume — Watch
Dancing With the Stars co-host Julianne Hough knows better than anyone: The show must always go on.
During Tuesday's TVLine Spotlight conversation in New York City, Julianne Hough recounted a painful — and personal — Season 7 memory that proves being a professional dancer is not for the faint of heart.
"I was dancing with Cody Linley, it was the quarterfinals and we were dressed as I Love Lucy," she shared in the video below. "And I remember we were dancing, and at that moment I had a cyst burst."
#DWTS cohost Julianne Hough relives the live TV emergency that landed her in the hospital: "I collapsed and they took me to the ER, and I had to have surgery that week." pic.twitter.com/PBUYltpTnF
— TVLine.com (@TVLine) September 4, 2025
She said her competitive nature kept her going throughout that number, but then, "right at the very end of the show, I collapsed and they took me to the ER, and I had surgery that week."
Of course, she made a triumphant return a week later for a "Design a Dance" routine with Derek Hough, in which she carried the man atop her shoulders just days after having emergency surgery.
Julianne Hough first hinted at the on-screen emergency in an Instagram post in June celebrating the 20th anniversary of DWTS.
"Wow. What a journey," she wrote. "I was 18 when I joined the show. Fresh out of Utah with $2000 in my pocket after training in London my whole childhood totally unsure of what was ahead. Who would've thought... I ended up winning my first two seasons, had a cyst burst on live TV (yep, that happened), cried with Dr. Drew, danced with a unicycle — first prop used on the show besides a chair, judged alongside my friends [Carrie Ann Inaba], [Bruno Tonioli] and the ultimate legend Len, and now.... 20 years later... I'm co hosting the show that quite literally raised me."
The new season of Dancing With the Stars — Season 34! — will get underway on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 8/7c. See the full list of competitors and their partners, press PLAY on the video above to watch Julianne Hough take a deep dive into her medical ordeal, then watch the video below to see the full behind-the-scenes conversation.