DWTS Pro Shares Heartfelt Message About Exclusion From Season 33

ABC announced the season 33 “Dancing with the Stars” cast on September 4 via “Good Morning America. While many fan-favorite professional dancers are back for the upcoming season, some familiar faces were missing. Fans were rooting for Koko Iwasaki to be a part of DWTS season 33. Unfortunately, she won’t be involved.

After the cast announcement, Iwasaki shared a heartfelt message about her absence with her fans.

Koko Iwasake Is Excited for a New Phase of Life

In an Instagram Story posted on September 4, Iwasaki addressed her absence from the upcoming season. She didn’t reveal specifically why fans won’t see her dancing on season 33. The dancer kept her message positive and teased big projects in the works.

Iwasaki’s Instagram Story consisted of black text over a photo showing a blue sky and green foliage. She wrote, “Waking up to seeing this season 33 cast of Dancing with the Stars, I’m excited for this cast and my friends!!”

She continued, “I won’t be doing this season, but you know I’ll be cheering my people on 🙂 also YES TO EZRA!!!”

The “Ezra” Iwasaki referenced is Ezra Sosa, who will dance with Anna Delvey in season 33.

Iwasaki continued, “While I feel I’m entering this new phase in life, my love for dance and my excitement for what’s to come are stronger than ever.”

“The next steps in my journey are unfolding beautifully, and I can’t wait to share them with you all in time,” Iwasaki teased.

The dancer closed her note with, “I am really happy and feeling really aligned. Cheers to it all!!”

DWTS Fans Are Upset About Iwasaki’s Season 33 Absence

“Dancing with the Stars” fans took to the show’s subreddit to share their thoughts on Iwasaki’s message.

“I wish they could’ve found someone decent for her last minute or added her to troupe at least. Really bummed that she’s out this season,” one fan wrote.

Another fan declared she was actually happy for Iwasaki. “[Because] we all know she would get either a controversial star, some old guy, and/or untrainable person which she deserves better.”

As her IMDb page notes, Iwasaki participated in both season 31 and 32 of “Dancing with the Stars.” She partnered with “Jersey Shore” alum Vinny Guadagnino for season 31 and comedian-actor Matt Walsh in season 32.

In September 2023, Entertainment Tonight shared that Iwasaki and Walsh became the first pair eliminated in season 32. The pair’s exit came after twists and turns related to the writers’ strike and Walsh hitting pause on his participation due to the strike.

At the time, Iwasaki told Entertainment Tonight, “I’m really bummed, you know? Quite disappointed, to be honest. But at the end of the day, this experience with Matt, we went through so much in the last few weeks, and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.”

Iwasaki added, “I would have Matt every season if I could.”

“I will never forgive the judges for how they scored her first dance with Matt last year,” another Redditor wrote.

That poster continued, “I hate thinking they did that to punish Matt for his strike involvement but it’s the only explanation that makes any sense [because] I can’t wrap my head around them actually thinking it was that bad.”

Someone else responded, “This is my favorite ‘conspiracy’ theory…You cannot convince me otherwise. Like, I have no dance background but have watched this show for years and can usually ballpark scores. It felt like they were trying to gaslight me.”

“She deserves better than the show,” another “Dancing with the Stars” fan commented.

“It is diabolical she was the only one cut…Like she’s gotta feel so alone and honestly picked on! She’s amazing and deserves so much better,” read a separate Reddit user’s comment about Iwasaki’s absence.

Stacy Carey has been a freelance writer focusing on reality television and celebrity news for more than a decade. She is a Heavy contributor for The Bachelor, Hallmark and Dancing With the Stars. More about Stacy Carey