Carrie Ann Inaba to miss ‘Dancing with the Stars’ season 34 premiere due to illness

Carrie Ann Inaba will miss the Dancing with the Stars premiere.

The longtime judge will be absent from the ballroom for the season 34 premiere of the dancing competition series due to illness. Inaba made the announcement to her social media on Tuesday.

“I wanted to share that I will not be at the show tonight as I am feeling quite under the weather. I’m resting up and can’t wait to be back next week in good health,” Inaba wrote. “In the meantime, I wish all the contestants the very best of luck. I’ll be cheering you on from home.”

Inaba ended her post by writing, “Have a great show everyone!”

ABC Audio has learned there will be no replacement judge taking Inaba’s place this week. This means that judges Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will be the only members of the panel that the season 34 contestants will hear feedback from on premiere night. Inaba is set to return to the show for the second episode of the season, which airs live on Sept. 23. 

Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough are returning to host Dancing with the Stars for its milestone 20th anniversary. Among this season’s contestants are The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stars Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt, Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui, Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles, influencer Alix Earle, The Traitors winner Dylan Efron and Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel.

Dancing with the Stars returns for its 34th season on Tuesday. The show airs live at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.

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