Corey Feldman, the 54-year-old actor who rose to fame in 1980s films including The Goonies, Stand by Me and The Lost Boys, will compete on season 34 of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, the show announced. Feldman will be paired with professional dancer Jenna Johnson, the reigning Mirrorball Trophy winner who took the prize with Joey Graziadei last season.
Feldman said he is grateful to be paired with Johnson and described the experience of switching from his long history of commercial and stage dance to the structure of ballroom work. "I’m very grateful that I have somebody so eloquent when it comes to the dance floor, and knowing everything, the moves, the rhythms, the styles [and] the technique," he told Us Weekly. Johnson said she looked forward to watching Feldman’s development and helping him gain confidence as a ballroom performer.
Feldman, who began his career in commercials at age 3 and made his film debut in 1979’s Time After Time, called the Dancing With the Stars assignment a chance to be a student again. He said he has been taking daily rehearsals with Johnson and that the training differs from his prior professional dance work, where choreographers often worked around his established style.
"They were there to kind of work with me and let me lead, so for me to take the back seat and turn it over and say, ‘It’s all you, show me. Lead me,’ I’m excited," he told Us Weekly. Johnson, who previously won the series with Adam Rippon in 2018 and with Graziadei last season, said she does not feel pressure to defend a title and described each season as a "clean slate."
Feldman’s casting comes after a decades-long, often tumultuous public career that has included prominent roles as a child and teen actor, struggles with substance abuse, legal troubles, and outspoken advocacy on behalf of victims of child sexual abuse in the entertainment industry. He and the late actor Corey Haim were widely known as "The Two Coreys" after co-starring in several films and a reality series; Haim died in 2010.
In a 2011 interview with ABC’s Nightline and in his 2013 memoir Coreyography, Feldman has alleged that he and Haim were sexually abused during their time as child actors. He has called for legal changes to statutes of limitations and has worked to bring attention to the issue, including through the 2020 documentary (My) Truth: The Rape of Two Coreys. Some of Feldman’s public accusations have been disputed by others, including statements by Haim’s mother and denials from people Feldman named.
Feldman has continued to work in entertainment outside of acting. He told TMZ he is preparing new music releases while rehearsing for Dancing With the Stars, saying he has multiple EPs and singles scheduled in the coming months and that he is launching a new artist through his label, CiFi Records. He acknowledged the physical demands of daily rehearsals but called the experience gratifying.
"It's a lot of work," Feldman told TMZ. "But I'm grateful. I'm grateful to learn. I am grateful to be a student. It's nice." Johnson said her goal is to help Feldman enjoy dancing with a partner and to give him the confidence to evolve as a ballroom performer.
Dancing With the Stars returns for its 34th season Sept. 16 on ABC. The series pairs celebrities with professional dancers in a judged ballroom competition, and Johnson’s presence as a reigning champion sets expectations for a rigorous training schedule and high production values. Feldman’s participation reunites him with a national television audience and follows years in which he has both sought to revive his entertainment career and to press for changes related to the protection of child performers.
Producers have not released the full cast list beyond the announced pairings. Feldman’s run on the show will be watched for both his performance and the larger arc of a career marked by early stardom, public struggle and persistent advocacy on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse in Hollywood.