Derek Hough gets emotional on Dancing With the Stars and seems to hint at his baby’s gender

Dancing With the Stars had an emotional Dedication Night episode on October 14, 2025, where judge Derek Hough seemed to unintentionally reveal the gender of his first baby with wife Hayley Erbert.

The couple who shared the news of their pregnancy in July 2025 has refrained from giving away any details about their child.

During the event, Derek reacted to a father-daughter dance that was moving to the core performed by Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles and her dad, Timothy Chiles.

The two danced to John Mayer’s “Daughters,” with choreography by professional dancer Ezra Sosa.

While giving his feedback, Derek lost control of his emotions and started saying that he was looking forward to having his own moment with his “daughter” before changing the word to “child.”

This drew a lot of attention online as there were so many viewers who speculated if the DWTS judge revealed more than he intended to.

Derek and Hayley have once mentioned that they would find out their baby’s gender only when it was born. Hence, the possible slip would be most noticeable to the fans who were watching the live show.

Derek Hough’s on-air moment in Dancing With the Stars

During the October 14 episode of Dancing With the Stars, Jordan Chiles performed a Viennese Waltz with her father, Timothy Chiles.

Their routine to John Mayer’s “Daughters” focused on the theme of love and gratitude between parents and children. After the performance, Derek Hough shared how the dance made him reflect on his future as a parent.

“Watching you two dance really made me excited to have my own moment with my—” Derek began before stopping mid-sentence.

He quickly continued with, “with my own child,” drawing attention from viewers who thought he almost said “daughter.”

He followed up with, “It’s so beautiful. There was a tenderness. It was simple. There was a care to it, and I hope you both cherish that moment.”

The brief exchange was part of an emotional segment where contestants dedicated their dances to meaningful people in their lives. Derek’s comment was not addressed further during the episode but fans quickly discussed it online.

His sister, Julianne Hough, also a judge on the show and host Alfonso Ribeiro kept the focus on the performance moving on to the next critique without referencing Derek’s slip.

Derek and Hayley’s journey to parenthood

Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert announced in July 2025 that they were expecting their first child together.

The couple who married in August 2023 after eight years of dating shared the news through a video showing Hayley holding her baby’s sonogram. Hayley captioned the post, “We can’t believe the biggest thing to happen to us could be so small.”

In September 2025, Derek appeared on Live With Kelly and Mark, saying,

“You know, there’s not a lot of surprises in life, right? We’re going to keep that one to ourselves,” when asked about the baby’s sex.

However, in October, he shared a video on Instagram showing Hayley’s growing baby bump writing, “That’s my babie’S.”

Their journey has followed a challenging year. In December 2023, Hayley underwent emergency skull surgery after a burst blood vessel. Derek supported her through recovery, calling it a “miracle” in an Instagram post.

By April 2024, Hayley had returned to performing on their Symphony of Dance tour. In October 2024, she rejoined Derek on the Dancing With the Stars stage for an emotional dance to “Beautiful Things.”

The couple’s on-air and online updates have since highlighted their shared milestones leading up to their baby’s arrival.

Stay tuned for more updates.