Ezra Sosa Supports Rylee Arnold’s Decision to Skip the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ 2026 Live Tour
Ezra Sosa gave a sweet shout out to Rylee Arnold after she announced her decision to not participate in the Dancing With the Stars 2026 live tour.
“Just wanna take a sec to shout out @ryleearnold1,” Sosa, 24, wrote on his Instagram Story on Wednesday, October 8. “The decision you made to put your health first is such a strong and mature one, and I honestly admire that so much. It takes real courage to do that in this industry, and I hope you know how inspiring that is.”
Sosa — who is partnered with Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles this season of DWTS — said that he would miss Arnold, 20, “like crazy on tour.”
“It won’t be the same without you, but I’m so proud of you and can’t wait to have you cheering us on,” he explained. “Love you always. 💖.”
Arnold, for her part, reposted Sosa’s sweet message to her own Instagram account, writing, “My bestie 🥺love you so much @ezra.sosa ❤️🩹.”
The younger sister of former pro DWTS dancer
“So sad I won’t be on the
Rylee, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when was 15 years old, went on to say that she is committed to focusing on her health right now.
“This year I had to make the hard decision to sit it out and focus on my health, especially with managing my Type 1 diabetes, which can be tricky on the road,” she said. “I’m gonna miss it SO much but I’ll definitely be cheering everyone on and can’t wait to come watch!! 💃💖.”
After Tuesday’s live broadcast of DWTS on Tuesday, cohost Julianne Hough revealed that several of the pros and stars would be hitting the road for a new tour.
“Listen up, we’ve got a big announcement. You can see all of these pros in person this winter, along with the stars of the show, in the all new
The tour lineup includes pros Sosa, Emma Slater, Val Chmerkovskiy, Britt Stewart, Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Jenna Johnson, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
Prove your
DWTS Runner-up Celebrated With Powerful Tribute That’s Striking a Chord
One of the finalists from “Dancing with the Stars” season 33 recently revealed a big honor that fans are loving. Ilona Maher, who danced with Alan Bersten and was the DWTS runner-up, is one of four female athletes who have just had Barbie dolls of themselves created.
Ilona Maher Has Joined ‘Team Barbie’
On October 6, Mattel announced “Team Barbie.” The company noted they were “honoring these incredible athletes who recognize and harness their own power with one-of-a-kind dolls made in their likeness because Barbie knows if you can see it, you can be it.”
In addition to Maher’s doll, Team Barbie has dolls modeled after three other international rugby players: England’s Rugby Red Rose team member Ellie Kildunne, New Zealand’s Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, and France’s Nassira Konde.
In the Mattel press release about the dolls, Maher explained, “We all doubt ourselves at times, myself included. But I am where I am today, because I kept showing up anyway.”
“I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and I’m not afraid to say it,” Maher declared.
She added, “If sharing my story can inspire other young girls to believe in themselves the way I have, then I’ll have truly made an impact. Being part of Team Barbie is about showing girls that confidence isn’t something to shy away from, but something to own.”
The Ilona Maher Barbie doll will be available for purchase in 2026.
According to Women’s Health, the Team Barbie dolls are the first ones Mattel has created with muscular, athletic bodies. Maher thinks having a doll like this when she was young would have been powerful.
“My insecurities used to be my broad shoulders, how big I am, and how strong I am,” she revealed. She added, “I think it would have helped me” to have a doll like this, where she could think, “You can see, ‘Okay, my Barbie has that, [and] I have that, so I am beautiful.”
Maher’s Fans Are Thrilled by the News
The Team Barbie release is already a big hit.
On Instagram, one fan commented, “The gasp I gasped, @ilonamaher you’re a Barbie!!!!!!”
Another raved, “This is the perfect collab I didn’t know we needed!”
An additional fan shared, “This is the Barbie I needed as a girl.”
“I’m 36… this healed something in me,” admitted someone else.
“This is the literal best brand partnership for you Ilona, you ALWAYS are showing us that we can be whoever we want to be. You rock it on the field, you rocked DWTS, you’re great with these kids! Love you,” wrote another supporter.
