Cody Rigsby recently revealed why he's not dancing with a same-sex partner on Dancing With the Stars. This season of DWTS is making history by having the first same-sex partners, JoJo Siwa and female pro dancer Jenna Johnson. JoJo opened up about wanting to make a positive change and being more comfortable dancing with another woman. Cody is currently dancing with DWTS vet Cheryl Burke.
Cody and Cheryl have had a tough run so far after contracting COVID-19. Both of them had to rehearse and eventually perform virtually due to their positive test results. The first week after being quarantined, the partners were judged on their rehearsal footage. The next week, Cody and Cheryl performed their dance virtually, in different locations. Fortunately, they're both okay now and were able to return to the dance floor after managing to escape elimination despite not physically being in the ballroom. Cody and Cheryl were able to dance together again during the show's Disney Week.
Cody, who's openly gay, recently shared why he didn't choose to dance with a same-sex partner. "When the conversation opportunity came up for DWTS, I was just so excited to be on the show, I guess I didn’t even think it was a possibility, so I didn’t bring it up," Cody told GLAAD. He also said that if he hadn't been so overwhelmed by the opportunity, he would have asked. Apparently, pro dancer and Jenna's husband Val Chmerkovskiy is open to dancing with a male partner in the future. "I don't know if I'm supposed to say this, but, in conversations, I know Val is really open to having a same-sex partner for next season and I think that would be incredible," Cody said.
Cody also gushed about JoJo and the impact she's making. "For her to jump into this space that’s not comfortable, not her home base of, you know, kids ... that already has a lot of courage," Cody said. "And then to do it with another woman, also recently after coming out ... she's really jumping into it headfirst in typical JoJo Siwa fashion." While DWTS may have an older, more conservative demographic that JoJo isn't used to catering to, she's definitely taking a brave leap by being as open as she is.
Even if Cody isn't dancing with a same-sex partner, he's still doing great on the show simply based on the fact that he didn't get kicked off after performing virtually. Now that fans know Val is open to dancing with a male partner next season, combined with JoJo's success so far, there's a good chance viewers will see more same-sex partnerships moving forward. With the DWTS Mirrorball Trophy still up for grabs, fans might see Cody and Cheryl fighting for the victory until the very end.
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Source: GLAAD/YouTube