Corey Feldman will return to network television as a competitor on season 34 of Dancing With the Stars, partnering with professional dancer Jenna Johnson, the ABC show announced. The season premieres Sept. 16.
Feldman, 54, said he is "very grateful" to have Johnson as his partner and described the experience of relearning dance under her direction as humbling. "I’ve been dancing my whole life professionally, but [in a] totally different style of dancing," he told Us Weekly. "For me to take the back seat and turn it over and say, ‘It’s all you, show me. Lead me,’ I’m excited."
Johnson, last season’s Mirrorball Trophy winner with former Bachelor contestant Joey Graziadei, said she is focused on helping Feldman develop confidence and skill on the ballroom floor. "I want him to enjoy dancing with a partner," she told Us Weekly. "This is something so new for him, and so I just want to give him the confidence that he deserves." Johnson, who previously won in 2018 with Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, said she does not feel pressure to defend her title because each season is a fresh start with different partners.
Feldman has been taking daily rehearsals with Johnson and described the work as demanding but rewarding. Speaking to TMZ while en route to practice, he said, "It’s a lot of work. But I’m grateful. I’m grateful to learn. I am grateful to be a student. It’s nice." He also told the outlet he has music projects pending, including a single due Sept. 10 and an EP slated for Sept. 22, with a dance EP planned for November.
Feldman rose to prominence as a child actor in the 1980s with roles in films including The Goonies, Stand by Me and The Lost Boys. He and fellow actor Corey Haim became a pop-culture duo known as "The Two Coreys," co-starring in a string of projects in the late 1980s. Feldman’s early career began at age 3 with commercials and guest appearances on television series.
His career and personal life have included periods of struggle. Feldman publicly battled substance abuse and faced arrests on drug-related charges as he transitioned into adulthood. He worked intermittently in film and television, released music, and appeared on reality programs.
In the years since Haim’s death in 2010, Feldman has been an outspoken advocate for survivors of child sexual abuse in the entertainment industry. He has accused unnamed figures in Hollywood of enabling abuse and lobbied for changes to statutes of limitations that restrict survivors’ ability to seek legal redress. In 2011 he told ABC’s Nightline that pedophilia was "the No. 1 problem in Hollywood" and later expanded on those allegations in his 2013 memoir Coreyography.
Feldman produced the 2020 documentary (My) Truth: The Rape of Two Coreys, in which he alleged that Charlie Sheen abused Haim when Haim was a minor. Sheen’s publicist denied the allegations in a statement, calling them "sick, twisted and outlandish." Haim’s mother, Judy, also publicly disputed the claim at the time. Haim died in 2010 at age 38; the Los Angeles Police Department initially described his death as an accidental overdose, and an autopsy later cited pneumonia.
Feldman’s advocacy work has included public calls for industry accountability and for legal reforms to allow survivors of historical abuse to pursue justice. He has continued performing and recording music while speaking about his experiences and supporting other survivors who come forward.
Dancing With the Stars has frequently cast celebrities seeking to reshape public perceptions or relaunch careers; Feldman’s casting follows that pattern. Jenna Johnson’s track record on the show and Feldman’s longtime performance experience are expected to shape their early weeks on the ballroom floor. Feldman said he approaches the competition as a student eager to learn and that he hopes viewers will enjoy watching his growth as a ballroom dancer.
Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars will air on ABC beginning Sept. 16.