Negotiations to bring Jordon Hudson onto season 34 of Dancing With the Stars collapsed at the last minute after the coach’s girlfriend pressed for creative control, according to reports.
An insider told the Daily Mail that Hudson, 24, and show producers could not "get on the same page" and that she declined to take part when she objected to a proposed storyline focused largely on her relationship with North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick and the surrounding controversy. The talks were said to have progressed far enough that producers scrambled to find a replacement.
According to the Daily Mail, Hudson — a former NCAA championship cheerleader at Bridgewater State University — wanted input on several production elements, including choosing a dance partner and controlling her practice schedule so she could attend Tar Heels games. "Jordon mentioned she wasn’t interested in doing certain interviews and she wanted to control loads, including picking her dance partner and when to practice," the insider said. The source added Hudson did not want the show's narrative to center exclusively on her relationship with Belichick.
The New York Post reported that Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui signed on for the season just two days before the full cast was announced. Derek Hough, a DWTS judge, told the Daily Mail a cast member had "backed out" and that it would have been "a little messy" had the situation gone forward. "I do know [who backed out]. But I can’t share that. I can’t share that," Hough said. "It would’ve been a little messy, I’ll tell you that."
Representatives for ABC and Hudson did not respond to requests for comment, the Daily Mail reported. Season 34 premiered on ABC on Tuesday.
The dispute over DWTS is the latest report of Hudson influencing or complicating media projects involving Belichick. Page Six reported that negotiations between the University of North Carolina and NFL Films over a proposed Hard Knocks-style docuseries nearly collapsed when Hudson sought an executive-producer credit and asserted control over how the coach and program would be presented.
Hudson joined Belichick on the field at Kenan Memorial Stadium on Saturday before the Tar Heels’ 41-6 home victory over Richmond. The couple drew intense media attention earlier this year when Hudson interrupted a CBS Mornings interview in April after a question about how they met, an exchange that prompted widespread coverage.
Belichick has said the couple met on a flight in 2021 and that Hudson helps manage his opportunities outside of UNC. They went public with their relationship in the summer of 2024.
Producers of reality and competition television commonly negotiate storylines, scheduling and participant roles; such negotiations can break down when talent and producers disagree over creative direction or contractual terms. The reports about Hudson’s talks with DWTS underscore the sensitivities that can arise when personal relationships and public narratives intersect.
The accounts of the DWTS negotiations come from media outlets that cited unnamed insiders. Neither ABC nor Hudson’s representatives provided on-the-record statements to the outlets that reported the story.