Overview
- DWTS confirmed its Season 35 professional pairings on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, and Savchenko was not listed among the pros announced on Good Morning America.
- Hours after the cast reveal, Savchenko posted a shirtless Instagram video saying, “Guys, I promise… I’m good,” and wrote that he is moving forward with gratitude for his years on the show.
- Reporting and Savchenko’s own deleted TikTok have linked his absence to the public fallout with former partner Brooks Nader, whose younger sister Sarah Jane Nader is a Season 35 contestant and whose friends have publicly expressed discomfort with Savchenko.
- Savchenko has recently promoted acting projects and told outlets he is “fully transitioning to acting,” a shift that has been highlighted alongside his nonappearance on the Season 35 roster.
- Savchenko is also involved in a separate, developing legal dispute with his ex-wife Elena Samodanova over the location of their daughters, a matter that contributes to his heightened off-show profile and could affect his public image and career choices.