Dancing With the Stars judge Derek Hough is reframing his mindset around health after welcoming his daughter.
“New dad, new commitment to health,” Hough, 41, wrote via Instagram on Monday, September 28. “Chasing longevity so I can provide and show up for her with energy and love every day.”
Alongside the message, Hough posed for a shirtless mirror selfie — showing off his abs while sporting a pair of black shorts. The mirror appeared slightly smudged, which Hough had an explanation for in the comments section.
“Dirty mirror masterpiece courtesy of baby Everley ❤️,” he wrote, referring to his 9-month-old daughter.
Elsewhere in the comments section, fans were quick to point out Hough’s ripped physique. “New dad 🧑🍼, no dad bod 💪 detected. 🚨,” one user wrote, while another added, “Your six pack has a six pack.” A third quipped, “Just say, ‘I look damn good’ 😂.”
Hough welcomed his daughter, Everley, with wife Hayley Erbert in December 2025. Last month, the family of three headed to the DWTS ballroom to attend the season 35 premiere — where Hough served as a judge alongside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
“It’s so crazy, like, I had this moment really where she was in [the ballroom] and I was, like, ‘I’ve been in this room for 20 years, performing and growing and learning and been eight different versions of myself in that room,’” Hough exclusively told Us in September of bringing Everley to the DWTS set for the first time. “I was just kind of sitting there like, ‘Wow, I’m in a different era.’”
Hough also had the opportunity to collaborate with his wife, with whom he tied the knot in 2023, for a special performance at the end of the show. The couple’s little one watched the number from backstage.
“I’ve accomplished so many things in that room, but truly my greatest achievement was, like, holding her,” he gushed to Us. “It was extraordinary to share that space that has held so much history, and now to hold the future, you know, in my hands was really cool and really special.”
Before the DWTS season 35 premiere, Hough and Erbert, 31, also gave Everley a front-row seat at their latest live tour by bringing their daughter on the road.
“Going on tour, actually, was wonderful because we got to see her all day, even in between the shows,” he recalled. “I’d do the first half of the show, and then I got to run off and we say ‘hi’ to her, we’re all sweaty and getting ready for the second act. And then, we got on the bus and it was … [set up as] a perfect place for a mom and a baby, and we sleep in there and get cuddled up.”
He continued, “It was really wonderful, and she was such a great tour baby. She traveled great, she slept good, she ate. Thank goodness she was a great tour baby, but it’s a lot. There’s a lot going on, a lot of things happening. So for me, I try to savor the moments when I see her and I’m with her, but, you know, it’s really good. I feel really lucky.”
