Balancing tour life and parenthood: Dancing With the Stars’ Derek Hough and wife Hayley Erbert’s preparation
Preparing for tour while expecting a Baby
The couple, Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert, who disclosed their pregnancy in July 2025, are busy reshuffling their calendars so that they can handle the requirements of a national tour along with their coming duty as parents.
The tour of Derek's Symphony of Dance: Encore is going to start in June 2026 and the duo is now taking steps to have a right approach towards the tour in terms of expectations. Derek explained to E! News,
"We're like, ‘Let's see how it goes and let's see if it makes sense.’ 'Your health is no. 1 and our family is no. 1.'"
Derek consulted with fellow dancers from Dancing With the Stars who found themselves in a comparable predicament and were able to give guidance on staying professional while handling kids at the same time.
He got to know their struggles and sourced the comments from Val Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Pasha Pashkov, and Daniella Karagach, who referred to the situation as "fantastic."
He pointed out that in the course of the tour, parents were able to give their kids their full attention for a whole day and then tuck them in just before the show.
Insights into Hayley Erbert’s pregnancy
Hayley Erbert, 31, has shared aspects of her pregnancy with the public through social media.
In July 2025, she posted a sonogram video on Instagram with the caption,
"We can’t believe the biggest thing to happen to us could be so small," as reported by E! News.
Derek has also highlighted his wife’s pregnancy by posting a video showing her baby bump and referring to their "babie’S."
The couple has maintained privacy regarding the baby’s sex. Derek told Live With Kelly and Mark that they are going to keep the sex of the baby to themselves.
During a Dancing With the Stars episode on October 14, 2025, Derek appeared to unintentionally indicate the sex of the baby.
After a father-daughter dance performed by contestant Jordan Chiles and her father, Derek shared that watching them dance made him excited to have a similar moment with his own child, according to E! News.
Balancing career and family life
Derek Hough, 40, and Hayley Erbert, 31, got married in August 2023 and have a practical planning approach to this new chapter.
Derek pointed out that their decision-making is influenced by family and health, telling to E! News that family comes first in their choices.
The couple is sharing the duties and getting tips from more seasoned artists to manage touring alongside parenting.
Derek Hough's Symphony of Dance: Encore tickets are on sale now, letting the audience to witness the professional steps of the couple in the process of becoming parents, as E! News reported.
Stay tuned for more updates.