Dancing With The Stars host Alfonso Ribeiro is opening up about the impact Robert Irwin has had on his professional dance partner Witney Carson.
During the Friday, Nov. 21 episode of the Danielle with the Stars podcast hosted by season 34 contestant Danielle Fishel, Ribeiro reflected on his friendship with Carson, who he’s known since the two were partnered together — and won — season 19 of the show in 2014.
“We talk behind the scenes a lot,” he began. “I am a life mentor to her in many ways. And my wife, Angela, is even more of a life mentor for her. On a personal level, it’s incredible to watch the growth of that little girl that I met 12 years ago, right? Like, she was a baby.”
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Carson was just 21 when she and Ribeiro won the Mirrorball Trophy — and it remains her only win on the show. During the podcast, Ribeiro shared that he believes Carson’s partnership with Irwin brought her spark back after a devastating 2nd place finish in 2018 while partnered with Milo Manheim.
“What I am able to look at is her brilliance on the floor. She’s able to create weekly with her contestants. You know, sometimes it’s a battle for her, sometimes it’s easy,” Ribeiro explained. “Milo, with her, was the season that she should have gotten her second [win].”
“They were incredible together,” he continued. “I’m saying something that I’ve never really said to her, but I believe that season broke her slightly. Because I believe that, like, she put everything into that season and was still so young, that to have not come home with the win, created different emotions in her and a bit of separation between herself, the pro, and the show. Her celebrity and the show, right?”
He added, “It’s coming back with Robert. And I’m watching her give in a different way that she’s done over the last several years of herself and open up and allow people in.”
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Carson and Manheim placed 2nd on season 27 of DWTS — when Bobby Bones controversially won the show despite being considered one of the weakest dancers.
After years of criticism following his win, and recently from former host Tom Bergeron, Bones returned his Mirrorball Trophy to ABC.
The Tuesday, Nov. 25 DWTS finale will mark Carson’s 8th appearance in the finals. She has placed 1st once, 2nd twice, and 3rd twice.
Dancing with the Stars airs LIVE on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+ and streams next day on Hulu.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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