Is Charli D’Amelio the Youngest ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Contestant Ever?
The cast of the upcoming 31st season of Dancing With the Stars has just been announced and many were excited to see TikTok star Charli D’Amelio‘s name on the cast list. D’Amelio is just 18 years old. Does this make her the youngest DWTS contestant in history?
Who is Charli D’Amelio?
D’Amelio skyrocketed to fame in 2019 after posting dancing videos on TikTok. One of her most noteworthy moments was popularizing the “Renegade” dance trend that took over the video-sharing app in October of 2019.
Since then, the social media star has taken on all manner of projects in the entertainment industry. From podcasts and reality shows, to appearing in music videos and releasing a book, D’Amelio does it all.
D’Amelio is the first person to hit 100 million followers on TikTok. She has a current net worth of $20 million. She is often referred to as TikTok’s biggest star, and has appeared on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list and Fortune‘s 40 Under 40 list, making her the youngest person to ever appear on Fortune‘s list.
Charli D’Amelio is joining ‘Dancing With the Stars’
Her latest project? Appearing on Dancing With the Stars. It’s a natural fit for D’Amelio; in addition to her TikTok dancing experience, the influencer started dancing at the age of three and was a trained competitive dancer for 10 years.
D’Amelio admits that she still has plenty to learn, though. In an interview with Good Morning America, the star shared what she’s most excited about in the upcoming season of DWTS.
“When it comes to the actual choreography, I would love to maybe do a little nod to why I am even here and what got me here,” she shared, referring to her TikTok dancing history. “But I think I’m really going to work on the technical parts of ballroom dance.”
The new cast also includes D’Amelio’s mom, Heidi, Wayne Brady, Selma Blair, Vinny Guadagnino, and Joseph Baena. D’Amelio and her mom are the first ever mother-daughter pair to compete on Dancing With the Stars.
Is Charli D’Amelio the youngest person to ever compete on ‘Dancing With the Stars’?
D’Amelio is just 18 years old. So fans may wonder if this makes her the youngest Dancing With the Stars contestant in the history of the reality competition. She is one of the youngest, but there are a few competitors who were even younger than she is.
Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson held the record for eight seasons. She was just 17 when she competed in Season 8 of the show. Her record was taken by Zendaya in Season 16; the actor was 16 during her run on DWTS.
However, the title of the youngest ever contestant on Dancing With the Stars goes to actress Willow Shields. The Hunger Games star competed in Season 20 when she was just 14 years old. So far, no one has broken Shields’ record yet.
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