Fans may have watched Harry Shum Jr.’s characters on shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Glee navigate different romances, but the actor has had a consistent partner in his wife, Shelby Rabara, since they got married in 2015.
Shum will prove just how much Rabara means to him during the October 20, 2026, episode of Dancing With the Stars, where he and pro Jenna Johnson will pay homage to his wife as part of Dedication Night.
Ahead of the performance, Us breaks down everything to know about Rabara and her relationship with Shum:
Who Is Harry Shum Jr.’s Wife Shelby Rabara?
Similar to her husband, Rabara is also an actor and dancer. She has appeared in projects including 17 Again, 2 Broke Girls and Goliath.
Rabara actually appeared on Glee before Shum made his debut in the fourth episode of season 1. She appeared in the pilot episode in an uncredited role, and she went on to make two additional credited appearances as Shoshandra, per her IMDB page.
She may be best known for voicing the character of Peridot in Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe franchise, and she continued her voice role career as Snappy in Toy Story 5.
Outside of acting, Rabara was previously a member of the Los Angeles Lakers cheerleading squad, the Laker Girls, from 2004 until 2006.
How Long Have Harry Shum Jr. and Wife Shelby Rabara Been Together?
Shum and Rabara have kept their romance relatively private, but he previously revealed that their first date was seeing the 2006 movie Dreamgirls in theaters.
“We both cried, and it was just such a beautiful experience because after that we just talked about you,” Shum told Jennifer Hudson, who starred in the film, during an October 2022 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show. “It really kinda brought us together, and we opened up about a lot of things, and it was just such a beautiful first date.”
The couple later got married during a wedding ceremony in Costa Rica on November 21, 2015, which was attended by Shum’s Glee costars including Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz.
Harry Shum Jr. and Shelby Rabara Share 1 Daughter
The couple became parents in March 2019 when they welcomed their daughter, Xia.
They clearly love parenthood, and even released their debut children’s book, Martee Dares to Dance, in 2024. The book follows a young Filipino boy named Martee, who loves to dance. He then becomes reluctant to perform after an embarrassing moment and must overcome the nerves.
“We wrote this book because we wanted to let kids know that it takes courage to dance and to be their true selves,” the couple told Gold House about the project.
Harry Shum Jr. Is Dedicating His Dance to Wife Shelby Rabara on ‘DWTS’
Rabara will join Shum on the DWTS stage for his foxtrot performance during season 35’s Dedication Night.
Prior to the episode’s premiere, Shum, Rabara and Johnson took to social media to lip-synch Glee’s rendition of “I Say a Little Prayer” as they teased the performance.
“So excited for dedication night 👯♀️✨ @shelbyrabara @harryshumjr #dwts #glee,” Johnson wrote alongside the clip.
