Derek Hough may have won six Dancing With the Stars trophies, but the experience pales in comparison to becoming a dad.
“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, 41, exclusively told Us on Thursday, September 17, of bringing daughter Everley, 8 months, to the DWTS set for the first time earlier this week. “I was just kind of sitting there like, ‘Wow, I’m in a different era.’”
Hough and his wife, Hayley Erbert, welcomed daughter Everley Capri in December 2025. The family of three attended the Wednesday, September 16, premiere, where Hough serves as a judge. In addition to sitting on the judging panel, he also teamed up with Erbert, 31, for a special performance to close out the show. Everley, for her part, watched 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.”
Hough and Erbert also recently brought Everley on the road during their latest live tour.
“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.”
Hough has found partnering with Huggies on its Huggies First campaign further helps him stay present with his little girl.
“There’s so many little moments, not even like milestone big moments, but it’s the small moments that are my favorite,” he gushed on Thursday. “You’re waking up in the morning and she just looks at you and she smiles or my new favorite thing right now is that she wakes up and she just starts clapping. She’s just like, ‘I’m alive, life, I’m alive.’”
Hough, who has loved watching Everley “evolving and growing so fast,” hopes his Huggies partnership inspires other first-time parents to savor their own family milestones.
“Honestly, when I heard about the idea of Huggies First, it got me really excited. It got me excited to experience all the firsts with my daughter and then to really relish in them and to enjoy them,” he added to Us. “[You] realize how special it is to have those firsts and then to sort of encourage and to share that with other parents as well. I love it so much; I’ll say it’s been some of my favorite moments of my life.”
