"She came to me": Dancing with the Stars' Jordan Chiles explains how Normani proposed being part of the Freestyle dance

Dancing with the Stars season 34 star and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles surprised viewers when she performed with former Fifth Harmony member Normani during her Freestyle routine. To top it off, they danced to Normani’s song, Motivation. 

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, uploaded to YouTube on November 26, 2025, Jordan explained how she managed to get Normani to make a cameo in her act.

While both Jordan and Ezra considered inviting her, Jordan revealed that it was actually Normani who approached her first.

"The crazy part is, Week three, she came to me and was like, ‘You know what? I should be in your Freestyle," she said.

During the third week of the competition, Normani appeared among the audience to support another Fifth Harmony singer, Lauren Jauregui. Unfortunately, it turned out to be Lauren’s last day in the competition, as she was sent home by the end of the episode. 

Normani previously appeared in season 24 of Dancing with the Stars, where she finished third after reaching the finale alongside pro dance partner Val. 

Further in the interview, Jordan expressed her gratitude to Normani after speaking about how the two came together and became friends in 2025.

Dancing with the Stars’ Jordan Chiles reflects on her connection with Normani

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jordan was asked about how she got Normani to agree to appear during the finale. 

The gymnast started by calling the singer “my girly pop” and “my lover.” She then explained that she and Normani had known each other since 2020. 

However, it was only in April 2025 that the two grew closer and became friends. 

“And for some reason, when I first met her, I was like, ‘Bruh, why do I feel like I’ve known you for years?’ And then from there we kind of just sort of hanging out,” Jordan added. 

The Dancing with the Stars fame then revealed that it was around three weeks before the semi-finals that she pitched the idea of asking Normani to join them in the finale to her pro partner, Ezra. 

However, Ezra disagreed, pointing out that they had been toying with the idea “since the beginning of the season.”

“I didn’t want to say it like that,” Jordan reacted. 

Ezra explained that the idea came up right after their first performance on Dancing with the Stars, when they agreed to reach out to Normani and dance to Motivation if they made it to the finals. 

Jordan chimed in, saying she wanted to bring her back since she had already been on the show. To Ezra, how everything unfolded was “iconic” because they pulled off a “hypothetical” plan.

At that moment, Jordan shared that while they had been discussing the idea, Normani had already expressed her interest in volunteering during week three. 

In a separate interview with E! News, Jordan stated that although Normani said she wanted to be part of the finale, she was not certain if it would actually happen.

“I didn’t know she was serious until her manager called me and was like, ‘No, like, she’s being serious. Like, she wants to be in it. And I was like, ‘Okay. Like, Ezra, we’re going to do it, we’re going to make one of the most iconic freestyles.’ And I guess, that’s what we did,” Jordan said. 

On November 26, 2025, Normani shared a picture of Jordan and Ezra on her Instagram Story and wrote, ‘I am SOOOOOO PROUD of you.’ She also thanked her for letting her share the stage and added that she loved her, calling Jordan her “BBY SISTER.”

Jordan and Ezra finished in third place, while Robert Irwin took first. 

Stay tuned for more updates.