Kim Kardashian Says ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Still Haunts Her, and She Wants a Family Rematch

Kim Kardashian has spent most of her adult life in front of cameras, from reality TV to fashion campaigns to her current role in ‘All’s Fair’. She’s comfortable with the spotlight, but there is one chapter of her career she still can’t bring herself to revisit.

That chapter is her 2008 stint on ‘Dancing With the Stars‘. She was a contestant on Season 7, which premiered Sept. 22, 2008 on ABC, and the season’s cast also included Cloris Leachman, Susan Lucci, Toni Braxton and Cody Linley.

Kardashian was paired with pro dancer Mark Ballas, a two-time Mirrorball champion. Their run was short: they scored 19 for a foxtrot, 18 for a mambo to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” and 17 for a rumba, averaging 18 out of 30. They were the third couple eliminated, finishing in 11th place on Sept. 30, 2008.

Now, nearly two decades later, Kardashian is being candid about how much the experience affected her. Appearing on the Thursday, Oct. 15, episode of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, the 45-year-old said she is still traumatized by her time on the show. She revealed that she cried in her trailer every night and prayed to get kicked off.

She explained that she was extremely shy about dancing in front of people at the time. She said she couldn’t get over herself and couldn’t get into the performances, and she has never danced since. The experience, she said, has stayed with her for life.

When Kimmel played a clip of her dancing with Ballas, Kardashian cringed and said she couldn’t bring herself to watch it. The conversation also included a comparison to Guillermo Rodriguez, who lasted longer on the show than she did, which gave the segment plenty of laughs.

Kim Kardashian revelou no Jimmy Kimmel Live! que chorava no trailer durante as gravações de Dancing with the Stars e torcia para ser eliminada da competição. Ela contou que era muito tímida para dançar e que a experiência a traumatizou. Desde então, evita dançar até mesmo em casamentos e outras festas. “Eu era muito tímida e nunca consegui me soltar. Nunca mais dancei desde então. Fiquei traumatizada.” https://t.co/8KWQWYg0gV

— Kardashian Brasil (@portalkardashbr) October 16, 2026

Despite the trauma, Kardashian had a surprising idea. She said she once asked her sisters what it would be like to do an entire ‘Dancing With the Stars’ season with the whole Kardashian-Jenner family competing against each other. According to Kardashian, they all loved the idea and said yes, though she doesn’t know whether the show would ever go for it.

Kimmel called it a fantastic idea and said the family would surely do it. Kardashian said she doesn’t know if the show brings people back, but she would be willing to return if the whole family were involved. That condition is key, since sharing the experience with her sisters seems to be the only way she’d ever step back into the ballroom.

Reports also noted that rewatching the old clips with family recently turned out to be somewhat empowering. It’s a small shift for someone who has avoided the footage for years.

This isn’t the first time Kardashian has joked about her dancing. In 2023, she danced with a friend at sister Khloé’s 40th birthday party and posted about it on Instagram, joking that a few drinks would have helped her perform on the show. At that time, she repeated that she was traumatized, got kicked off early and would never dance again.

Her reluctance to dance has been a running gag for years. She once froze at a Prince concert at Madison Square Garden, when he brought her onstage and then told her to get off for not dancing. She later wrote on social media that she was so nervous she froze when he touched her, and she earned another chance to redeem herself later in the show.

Fellow ‘DWTS’ alum Milo Manheim also said Kardashian once told him the experience was the worst, with injuries and a feeling of looking foolish. Those comments show how consistent her view of the show has been for nearly 20 years.

A family season would be a huge ratings draw, and it would play on the Kardashian-Jenners’ long history of reality TV. For now, though, the idea is only a pitch. Neither the show nor the family has announced any plans.

Still, the mix of self-deprecating humor and genuine nerves makes the story easy to love. If a rematch does ever happen, fans can bet Kardashian will be bringing her sisters along for moral support.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!