Spoilers for Dancing with the Stars Season 35 Disney Night (Monday, November 2, on ABC and Disney+). Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa were eliminated, Maura Higgins has spoken about her hard week, and pro Britt Stewart has responded to a tabloid report that she plans to leave the show.
Disney Night was supposed to be the fun week of DWTS Season 35. Instead it produced three talking points that have run all week: a well-liked star going home after one of her best dances, a surviving celebrity explaining why she looked flat, and a pro answering claims about her future. Here is what happened, and what each person has actually said.
1. Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa are out
The show moved to Monday because of the US midterm elections, and the ballroom went full Broadway, with songs from Disney stage musicals and Wicked star Cynthia Erivo sitting in as guest judge alongside Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli (CBC News).
Julia and Ezra danced a paso doble to “Satisfied” from Hamilton, and the panel was warm. “That is how you tell a story!” Tonioli said, according to TV Insider, while Hough told Julia that after a difficult previous week, “tonight you delivered that.” The routine earned 33 out of 40, and with Team Slaytopia’s 36 she finished the night on 69 judges’ points.
That still wasn’t enough. Judges’ marks are combined with the viewer vote, and when the last two couples were named, Julia and Ezra were the ones told to leave. EW described it as “a tragic fan-favorite elimination.”
Julia was emotional on her way out. “It’s been an incredible experience. I pulled things out of myself that I didn’t realize were there,” she said, per CBC, adding that she would be “sad not to see” Ezra every day. Ezra told her that watching her grow “has been an absolute honour.”
Not every viewer was surprised. CBC rounded up fans who felt her reliance on nostalgia, including nods to her films 10 Things I Hate About You and Save the Last Dance, had cost her votes, while others insisted she would “always be the winner” in their homes.
At the other end of the leaderboard, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson and Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy both scored perfect 40s. Because of the tie, immunity from next week’s dance-off went to the couple with more points across the season: Shum and Johnson, on 236 (CBC News). Our full Disney Night recap has every dance and score.
2. Maura Higgins: ‘I was really unwell’
Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas survived, but only just. Their Peter Pan jive scored 32, and Maura was in the final two with Julia. Online, some viewers singled her out. One post quoted by Cosmopolitan called her “the clear weak link of that team dance.”
The Love Island and Traitors star answered with a long Instagram post alongside behind-the-scenes photos. “This week was definitely one of the toughest I’ve had so far. I was really unwell, running on very little energy and trying to learn two dances, but I gave it absolutely everything I had,” she wrote, as reported by Cosmopolitan.
She reminded fans she had no dance training before the show and said she was “learning,” “making mistakes” and “growing along the way.” “Some weeks will be better than others, and that’s okay,” she added. “I’m only human.” Maura stressed she wasn’t posting for “sympathy or to make excuses,” praised Mark as her “biggest support,” and thanked fans who keep cheering her on. She signed off “grateful” that she is still chasing the Mirrorball.
3. Britt Stewart responds to quitting rumours
The third story is not a confirmed exit. It is a rumour, and Britt Stewart’s response to it.
After Britt and Taylor Hanson were eliminated in Week 3, The U.S. Sun claimed, citing an insider, that she was thinking about not coming back (Daily Express US). Fans had already been trending “Justice for Britt,” since she has not reached a finale in seven seasons as a pro.
Asked about the reports by Cosmopolitan, Britt did not say yes or no. She recalled a young Black girl who told her she was amazing, and the girl’s mother explaining how much seeing Britt in the ballroom meant to her daughter. “That girl would be so disappointed in me if I don’t accomplish what I want to accomplish,” Britt said. “I know I haven’t accomplished all that I could.” Cosmopolitan’s writer noted that this was not an explicit denial.
Britt also said she was “sad” and “disappointed,” not angry, after her exit, and that “the show must go on.” She pushed back on the idea of a “ringer,” saying she doesn’t think one really exists anymore, and admitted she is still learning to separate “the result from the process” (Reality TV World; Us Weekly). Neither ABC nor Britt has announced any change to her place on the show.
What’s next
Seven couples remain. DWTS returns to Tuesdays on November 10 with Grammy Night and a dance-off, live on ABC and Disney+. Follow every Season 35 story on our Dancing with the Stars hub.
Sources
- CBC News, “Dancing with the Stars ‘shock’ as fan favourite sent packing” (November 3, 2026): cbc.ca
- EW, “‘DWTS’ Disney Night recap”: ew.com
- TV Insider, Disney Night recap (November 2, 2026): tvinsider.com
- Cosmopolitan, Maura Higgins responds to fan feedback (November 3, 2026): cosmopolitan.com
- Cosmopolitan, Britt Stewart interview: cosmopolitan.com
- Us Weekly, “Britt Stewart Addresses Rumors She’s Quitting DWTS”: usmagazine.com
- Daily Express US, Britt Stewart quitting rumours (October 31, 2026): the-express.com
- Reality TV World, Britt Stewart addresses quitting rumours (November 3, 2026): realitytvworld.com
- ABC press photos, Disney Night (Disney/Christopher Willard, Disney/Ser Baffo): detpress.com
