Why Kim Kardashian cried every night on DWTS and never danced again
Decades after her run with pro Mark Ballas, the reality star opened up to Jimmy Kimmel about the private dread that shadowed her ballroom stint.
Kim Kardashian revealed she cried in her trailer every night and prayed to be voted off during her short-lived ballroom stint on Dancing with the Stars. Speaking on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday, October 15, the reality star reflected on her 2008 run on season 7 of the dance competition, admitting the experience still haunts her nearly two decades later, as reported by Us Weekly.
“I would honestly cry in my trailer, like, every single night, praying to get kicked off. It was so hard for me,” Kardashian told host Jimmy Kimmel during her late-night appearance.
How shyness took over the ballroom
Kardashian explained that severe shyness and self-consciousness impaired her ability to perform under the bright lights of live television. The pressure proved so overwhelming that she has avoided the dance floor ever since.
“I was so shy to do it, I couldn’t get over myself,” she said on the show. She added, “I’ve never danced again. I am traumatized.” Kardashian went on to emphasize the lasting toll, remarking, “It’s traumatized me for life.”
Her ballroom days resurfaced recently in front of friends and family. Kardashian recounted that her sister Kylie Jenner screened her season 7 routines on a large movie screen during a family poker night three weeks prior, after several guests mentioned they had no idea she had ever competed on the series. For Kardashian, reliving the performances was less than enjoyable: “I can’t even watch it.”
A look back at her season 7 run
Kardashian competed on season 7 in the fall of 2008 alongside professional partner Mark Ballas. Her prayers for an early exit were answered relatively quickly when she was eliminated in the third week of the competition. That season went on to be won by Brooke Burke and professional partner Derek Hough.
Her brother, Rob Kardashian, found far more success on the dance floor a few years later. He competed on season 13 in 2011 alongside pro partner Cheryl Burke, making it all the way to the finale and finishing in second place.
The pitch for an all-family season
Despite her personal aversion to ever stepping back onto the ballroom floor, Kardashian floated a bold concept for the franchise during her late-night interview.
“Could you imagine if we did a Kardashian-Jenner whole season of all of us competing against each other on Dancing With the Stars?” she asked.
Kimmel enthusiastically supported the suggestion, calling it a “fantastic idea” on the broadcast. “Of course they would do it. That’s a great idea!” Kimmel said.
The competition series remains a flagship for ABC, with Dancing with the Stars Season 35 having premiered on September 15, 2026, hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough. Whether ABC or series producers have any intention of pursuing an all-Kardashian-Jenner season remains unknown.
