Jenna Johnson Dishes on Her 'DWTS' Exit, Her Future, Rooting for Hubby Val and More

Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy

Two-time Dancing with the Stars winner Jenna Johnson had to sit out Season 31 of the dance competition due to her pregnancy, but she was back in the ballroom for Season 32 and looking forward to a long run—after all, she finished second in both Season 29 and 30—but her celebrity partner supermodel Tyson Beckford wasn’t a natural, and the couple was eliminated on night three.

“We just had an incredible time together,” Jenna, who has no regrets, tells Parade in this exclusive interview. “We had great banter; we would laugh so much. I’m really grateful that I got to experience the season with him.”

And while Tyson may be off the DWTS leaderboard, Jenna will be back in the ballroom for the opening numbers each week, along with the other pros from the season.

“Hopefully once there are fewer couples, we’ll be able to do some specialty numbers,” she says. “So, I’m looking forward to those.” And she’s also hoping to do some choreography as well. “I love choreographing. It’s a huge passion of mine. I’m definitely hoping that maybe with some of the theme nights coming up, I’ll have a chance to choreograph.”

The other plus about being voted out early is that Jenna will get to spend more time at home with her son Rome (born Jan. 10)—with hubby Val Chmerkovskiy, who is competing this season with Marvel star Xochitl Gomez, who at 17 is the youngest competitor this season. And now that she’s no longer in the competition, Jenna can offer a helping hand—if asked.

“He is very good at what he does, but he does value my opinion when it comes to styling for his partner,” Jenna says. “And so, I am definitely on board to be their support and if he needs anything from me, I’m there. I would love to see him bring home the Mirrorball Trophy this year. Especially since he was so close last year. I feel like we’re having a repeat of what I did with Nev Schulman and JoJo Siwa. But I’m hoping that instead of getting second place two years in a row, he can win it.”

Related: Check Out the Songs and Dances for Disney Night in the Ballroom

Jenna chatted more with us about why teaming up with Tyson was a major surprise, having Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough as the hosts, how she made DWTS history, and how her miscarriage taught her to change her approach in speaking about family planning.

You got voted out early, which is always sad, but tell me a positive about what it was like working with Tyson.

There are so many positives when it comes to Tyson. I was really nervous when I first found out that I was going to be partnered with him. If you Google him, all of his pictures that come up are so serious and he just looks stunning all the time. I was like, “Man, he looks like he could have an ego and maybe potentially be a little rude.” He is the complete opposite. I think it’s always one of my favorite things to meet somebody that is of the caliber Tyson is. He is really a legend. He is the one and only male supermodel. He could act a certain way, but he is the humblest, kindest, respectful person.

You can really tell he was a good person because when he was on set he always said hello to all of the crew guys, catering, hair, makeup, didn’t matter who it, and he always had a big smile on his face. I think that was such a great lesson for me. Even in the stressful environment or in just the chaos of your own personal life, it’s so important to be a positive person, to always have a smile on your face and to bring light into the room that you enter. He just did that. He was such a joy to be around on set.

The second number you did this season, I stopped you in the ballroom and told you how great I thought that choreography was. You seem to have some unique ideas.

I think with every partner you really have to adapt to their strengths and try to showcase them the best. One of the biggest challenges is you’re not always given a natural dancer. I really wanted to play into how fun Tyson was and what a little character is. He’s always overly animated and very strong. He loved the song that we performed to, our salsa song. There was like a conga part. Originally, we were like ‘Maybe we should have some congas,’ and then I was like, ‘Why don’t you just play my butt like the congas? We’ll do a lift and it’ll be a full illusion.” So, yeah, we had a ton of fun in that dance.

Related: Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy Dish on Dancing with the Stars Host, Future of Show and More

Was it different being back in the ballroom as a mother? Did you have in the back of your head 'I need to get home,' or was it an easy transition?

I think getting ready to come back and preparing myself for the season was a little bit stressful because I didn’t know what to expect. But Val and I made sure that we really prepared ourselves and that everyone was situated, meaning us and Rome were in good hands. I felt very confident being on set and being back in my role as a professional dancer. It was so exhilarating that I felt like once I was done with my job, I was able to go home and be a great mother because I was fulfilling myself creatively.

How’s Val doing on daddy duty?

He’s the greatest. I definitely scored in the partner department with him as my husband and as Rome’s dad. He’s really great about coming home and being helpful. Even though he’s exhausted, we’re both exhausted, he lights up as soon as he sees Rome. I think something that’s been really awesome for both of us is we’ve been so much more productive with our time. It’s been really awesome. Seeing Val as a dad, I thought I loved him before but I’m just feeling so much more love and attraction for him.

What do you think about the renaming of the Mirrorball Trophy to the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy?

When they told us, I think all of us were in tears. It feels so perfect to honor Len in that way. I think it will be even more meaningful to whoever gets the trophy to have it at your house and know what a special memento that is.

Related: How Dancing with the Stars Will Honor Len Goodman

We also have Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough hosting the show. Alfonso actually won the show as a star. And Julianne, of course, has been a pro and a judge. What is it like having people who actually have experience on the show taking over the reins?

It’s been really awesome to see Julianne and Alfonso’s dynamic. It just fits really well. They know all of us, they care deeply about us, and I think that you can sense that even while we’re filming the show. But they also know what all of us are going through, so I think just them having that understanding and being able to relate to the pros for Julianne and the contestants for Alfonso is really helpful.

Bringing back Conrad Green as the showrunner, it must feel more like the original Dancing with the Stars than it did after he left.

Actually, this is my first season ever working with Conrad. I’ve been looking forward to it so much because he is the one that made Dancing with the Stars the way that it is. It’s been really awesome to have that OG essence brought back and sprinkled throughout the show, and I think people can feel that.

You made dancing history with JoJo Siwa. Are you still getting reactions from that? What are people saying all this time later?

I think that was a big, monumental moment for so many people and for our show. I don’t think people will forget about that anytime soon, which is awesome. We were fortunate to be able to do some really creative pieces in a beautiful way and break that stigma of “this is going to be uncomfortable to watch.” We did it in a really artistic, gorgeous way and I’m so proud of that season. That will be one of my proudest moments in my career.

Do you already have dance shoes for Rome?

Yes, actually, we do. It was gifted to me for my baby shower from my first ballroom teacher, so Rome does have a pair of little Latin shoes, which is so funny.

He’ll dance before he can walk.

I know, I know. He does love music, though, and he loves watching us dance. He loves watching me and Val practice at home. So, we’ll see.

Would you be OK if he decided he wanted to follow in your footsteps? Or are you hoping that he’ll get a serious job, like doctor or lawyer?

I want him to do whatever he is passionate about. So, if he loves dancing and if he falls in love with it, I will support him no matter what. On the flip side, I don’t want him to feel pressured into doing it just because we do it. So, yeah, we’ll see.

Related: Mira Sorvino on How Dancing with the Stars Is a Tribute to Her Late Father Paul Sorvino

Before you had Rome, you had a miscarriage that was very traumatic for you and Val. You have said that it has changed the way you approach talking to people about family planning. Explain to me how that is.

I always just thought when we were ready to have a baby, it would just happen immediately. And so, I think I was a little bit careless with my wording towards other people, as well. Like, “Oh, when do you guys want to have a baby? When do you want to get pregnant?” I didn’t really understand that there’s so many factors involved in that, and that it’s so different for every single person. I’m a bit more intentional and a bit more, I’m going to stay sensitive in the way I approach.

Now I’m sure people ask you, “Do you want to give Rome a brother or a sister?” They may not know the struggle you went through to have him.

Yeah, and I think it’s a big fear of mine of, “Oh, my goodness. Am I going to have to go through that same process of getting pregnant?” Family planning and pregnancy is such a personal experience in general that I think we just need to be better about minding our own business. It’s fine to be curious, but I think doing it in a sensitive way is the best approach.

So, now that your season has ended too soon, what will you be doing with your time?

I’m excited to be a mommy. Last year I was pregnant and so I was limited in what I could do. I’m excited to keep choreographing and to have time to be able to be creative and try things that I haven’t had time to do yet. Now that Rome’s getting a little bit older, I’m really excited to be out here, I’m excited to be a support system for Val. But I’m also excited to keep dancing on the show. I just finished rehearsal. We have a great opening number this week for Disney night. I’m excited to be back dancing on the show, dancing with professionals.

Dancing with the Stars simulcasts live across both ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT and next day on Hulu.

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