Hailey Bills is a young dancer from Utah who has become one of the newest faces of Dancing with the Stars. Viewers first saw her as a child on the junior spinoff. They saw her again as a troupe member, and now as a professional dancer on the main show. Along the way, fans have asked many questions about her age, her family, her dance partner and her connection to Robert Irwin. This article brings those answers together in one place, using details reported by entertainment outlets and shared publicly by Hailey and her family.
Who Is Hailey Bills?
Hailey Bills is an American dancer who grew up in Utah and started dancing around age six. She spent her childhood in competitive dance studios, winning solos, high scores and national titles. Her name became known to television audiences in 2018, when she appeared on Dancing with the Stars: Juniors. Many fans still remember her from that show, even though she was very young at the time.
Today Hailey is better known as a professional dancer on the main DWTS cast. She joined as a troupe member in 2025 and was promoted to pro status for Season 35 in 2026. She has also worked as a pro assistant for Ovation, the dance competition created by Derek Hough and Julianne Hough. In 2025 she was also reported to be a student on the dance team at Brigham Young University, with graduation expected in 2028.
How Old Is Hailey Bills?
Hailey Bills was born on May 18, 2006, which makes her 20 years old in September 2026. Entertainment coverage has described her as the youngest pro on the current season’s roster. Her age is often searched because she has been on television for so long. She was 12 during the junior show in 2018 and 19 when she joined the troupe in 2025.
Her young age is part of what makes her story interesting. Many dancers spend years working toward a spot on the show. Hailey has been part of the DWTS world since childhood and reached the professional cast before her twenty-first birthday. Her early start and steady progress have made her a favorite with many viewers.
Hailey Bills Parents, Mom and Siblings
Hailey’s family is close but mostly private. Her mother is Stacy Bills, who shares warm posts about her children on Instagram. On Hailey’s nineteenth birthday, Stacy wrote a heartfelt message thanking her daughter for making her a mom and calling her a best friend. Hailey’s father has stayed out of the public eye, and little is known about him.
According to a 2025 report based on her mother’s posts, Hailey is the oldest of five children. Her younger siblings were named as Gracie, Kade, Jake and Luke. Since that information came from family social media, it may have changed a little over time. It still shows that Hailey grew up in a busy household where dance and family life shared the same space.
How Is Hailey Bills Related to Jenna Johnson?
Many fans ask how Hailey is connected to DWTS pro Jenna Johnson. The answer is that Jenna is her aunt. Jenna’s sister Stacy is Hailey’s mother, so Hailey is Jenna’s niece. Because Jenna is married to Val Chmerkovskiy, Val is Hailey’s uncle by marriage. Hailey is not a sibling, cousin or wife of anyone on the show, as some searches wrongly suggest.
The family link has played a big role in her career. Jenna was her mentor on the junior show in 2018, while Val sat on the judging panel. When Hailey was announced as a troupe member in 2025, Jenna posted an emotional video on Instagram. She said she found out at 2 a.m. in Paris and was proud of her niece. Hailey has said that having Jenna as a mentor helped her feel calm and comfortable.
Hailey Bills Early Dance Career and DWTS Juniors
Hailey’s dance résumé is strong. She was named Ms. Petite StarPower in 2015 and Female Mini Best Dancer at The Dance Awards in Orlando in 2017. She later won Female Teen Best Dancer in 2022. After one of her early titles, her family moved back to Utah, where she focused more on ballroom. She trained at Center Stage Performing Arts Studio with future DWTS pros Rylee Arnold and Ezra Sosa.
In 2018 she joined Dancing with the Stars: Juniors at age 12. Her partner was nine-year-old Tripp Palin, the son of Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston. They were eliminated in the first episode. Hailey later shared on a podcast that the drive home with Val was awkward. He took her to dinner and gave her a pep talk, which she remembers fondly. Losing early did not stop her, and she kept training and performing.
From Troupe Member to Pro on Dancing with the Stars
In September 2025, Hailey was named to the Season 34 troupe alongside Onye Stevenson, Carter Williams and Jaxon Willard. That same month she performed with judge Derek Hough at a Savannah Bananas game. Troupe dancers do not have celebrity partners, but they perform in group routines throughout the season. Hailey quickly became a standout, and fans noticed her energy on screen.
Her hard work paid off in 2026, when she was promoted to professional for Season 35. She became a first-time pro alongside Adele Zaikman, who won Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. Hailey has also had light moments in the spotlight. In December 2025 she posted selfies after breaking her nose and joked about it with a simple caption. Fans responded with concern and humor.
Hailey Bills and Sarah Jane Nader on Season 35
Hailey’s celebrity partner for Season 35 was Sarah Jane Nader, a model and star of Love Thy Nader. Hailey told People that executive producer Deena Katz asked her during the spring tour whether she would dance with a woman. She said yes and called it a “double whammy.” The pairing became only the second same-sex couple in the show’s history, after Jenna Johnson and JoJo Siwa in Season 30.
Their journey was short. On the second night of the premiere, female celebrities danced to number-one songs from the years they were born. Hailey and Sarah Jane performed a jive to “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne. The judges gave them 14 out of 30, and comments focused on timing and synchronization. They landed in the bottom three and were eliminated that night. Adele Zaikman had also gone home on the first night, and reports say both new pros will now join the troupe.
Robert Irwin, Dating Rumors and Hailey Bills’ Private Life
The Robert Irwin rumors began during Season 34, when he was competing with Witney Carson. Fans saw a TikTok posted on October 27, 2025, showing Robert with Hailey and other troupe members. He also shared an Instagram Story clip of them dancing. A gossip account then posted a blind item, and speculation grew. Robert’s family reportedly liked Hailey, according to one tabloid source, but no romance was ever confirmed.
Robert went on to win Season 34 and later hosted Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro in Australia. As for Hailey, recent reports say she does not appear to be in a relationship. She has not publicly discussed her dating history or her sexuality, and readers should avoid treating rumors as facts. The same goes for her faith and finances. She is from Utah and was reported to attend a university there, but she has not discussed her religion, and no reliable net worth has been published.
Conclusion
Hailey Bills has gone from a twelve-year-old junior pro to a professional on one of television’s biggest dance shows. She is 20, comes from a close family and is the niece of Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy. She has a strong record of dance titles behind her. Her time as a pro partner to Sarah Jane Nader ended quickly, but it made history, and she is expected to stay on the show as part of the troupe.
For fans, the best approach is to follow her official social media and trusted entertainment outlets for updates. Many online stories about her personal life are rumors, so it is wise to wait for her to share news herself. Her career is still young, and there is every reason to expect more dancing from Hailey Bills in the seasons ahead.
