Stars just wanna dance! Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds is set to compete for the Mirrorball Trophy with pro Allison Holker as his partner and dance instructor on season 23 of Dancing With the Stars.
Edmonds, who took over the R&B charts in the 1980s and '90s with hits like “Every Time I Close My Eyes,” “Whip Appeal” and “When Can I See You,” is known primarily for producing and writing hits for major musicians such as Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Ariana Grande. He’s even landed a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Us Weekly confirms that the Grammy winner, 57, is the latest to join the sure-to-be stacked season of the reality series. As first reported by E! Online, Edmonds will cha-cha alongside The Fosters alum Jake T. Austin, Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, Amber Rose and possibly season 12 Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher. Veteran dance pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy, whose fiancée, Peta Murgatroyd, is pregnant with their first child, is also set to return after a multiple season hiatus.
Producers of the ABC dance competition have repeatedly offered former President Bill Clinton a slot and hoped to land Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, but the gold medalist couldn’t handle the time commitment. Biles told E! News, “I would love to do Dancing With the Stars, but so far we have a three-month tour after this Olympics.”
The entire cast will be announced on Good Morning America Tuesday, August 30. The new season of Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC September 12 at 8 p.m. ET.
