Should she be invited, don’t think that being a new mom again will prevent Peta Murgatroyd from partaking in Dancing With the Stars when the show returns for its 32nd season this fall on ABC and Disney+. The two-time mirror ball champion and pro dancer husband Maks Chmerkovskiy are set to make their firstborn, Shai, a big brother any day now.
TV Insider chatted with the expectant mom about her family life, DWTS Season 32, her career as an entrepreneur with her line of tanning products (check them out here), and the steps she takes to makes sure her celebrity partners enjoy their time on the ballroom floor. Read on to get the scoop from the delightful Murgatroyd.
How do you find the right balance between sharing your dreams and your family life with your followers yet still have a semblance of a private life?
Peta Murgatroyd: At first, I wasn’t comfortable sharing our fertility journey. When I got over this dark cloud and weight on my shoulders, I felt I needed to release it. Nothing was better for me at the time than to let it go. It’s a balance. People feel like they know you when they see snippets of your life, but I’m very careful about what I put out there with Shai. I don’t shoot him every day having breakfast. You won’t see him from when he wakes up to when he goes to bed, but you’ll see his birthday or him at the holidays. He doesn’t know what Instagram is. I don’t want him to someday see himself on social media and ask, “Mom! What the heck did you do?” I will never be that mom, but people do get to see happy moments in our lives.
You’ll share a story on social media, and then, Maks will give his version of the same events. It’s hilarious. Have you two ever thought of having your own reality show?
You’re not the first person to tell us that! We’ve had many [interested parties] come to us and ask us to [do a reality show]. We get this question regularly. We’ve thought about it, and then, we’ve not thought about it. It can change your life in many different ways both positively and negatively. You’d be opening your family up to a lot. You have to be ready. Maybe in the future we will be.
You and other dance pros, I imagine, set out to become artists, not celebrities. What was it like when you became a DWTS pro and were suddenly so popular?
I saw it from the outside first [as a troupe member]. I thought, “Yeah, maybe there will be a little fame.” I’d see the OG pros — Cheryl [Burke], Maks, and Louis [van Amstel] — and thought, “Oh, that sounds good.” But then, you really get into it. I’m from a small town in Australia. It can be daunting. You’re not used to the paparazzi. When Maks and I first started dating, it was crazy. They went wild to get photos of us. I wasn’t prepared for that. I was so new to the industry. I think you can gain more notoriety with each season. If you have a really big celebrity, you can get even more. You learn to deal with it.
Is your doing DWTS Season 32 feasible with the baby coming — if you’re invited back?
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I would love to [go back if invited]. I was seven weeks post-partum with Shai when I went back to the show [in 2017]. It was interesting and amazing at the same time. I feel it was one of the best things for myself after I gave birth. It was a nice way to get back into doing what I love, doing what I did four hours a day. I think because I was a better mom because I had that time away each day.
We see Maks being this incredibly doting dad on social media.
He is. He’s wonderful. He has really good intuition with what [children] need, what they want. I feel like we’re learning every day. As Shai gets older, we adapt to those changes. As they grow up, children become more sensitive. I think we have a pretty good system at home to tackle everything together.
What are your thoughts on Julianne Hough joining DWTS as co-host?
I love this idea. I didn’t know it was happening. I think it’s a wonderful choice. Keep it in the family. She’s done every other role on the show before. She’ll be a great counterpart to [co-host] Alfonso [Ribeiro]. I can just see them looking great standing next to each other side by side. She’s going to be wonderful.
What steps (no pun intended) do you take to make sure your celebrity partner has the best DWTS experience?
There are so many things. First, schedule the hard work. They have to experience being in the dance studio for four hours a day, dancing in new shoes that have a little heel on them, wearing tight, pulled up pants… There’s also being vulnerable and letting the audience in. There are certain things that capture viewers at home. Viewers want to see when you have moments of fear or doubt. You need to be as real as you can possibly be. That will get you further than putting up a fake persona. Being truly present is what makes it work.
So many on Dancing With the Stars look like they have these perfect tans courtesy of the spray-tanning. Is that what inspired you to produce a tanning line?
Yes, it’s absolutely what led me to doing my own brand. I wanted to find a color that would both look great on stage and one that could be worn to go out during the day. I wanted something for both. I think that’s what we’ve been able to accomplish. You don’t have to sit forever and wait for it to dry and it doesn’t smell [bad]. I wanted to make [a tanning product] that would be accessible to everyone.
How’s it been going?
Great. We’re selling out. We have six products right now. We’re launching three more this summer. It’s been a dream come true, being an entrepreneur along with my dancing career. This is something I really, really always wanted to do.
Did you have any celebrity partners ever who helped you with business – one of the Shark Tank sharks?
[Laughs] No. This was all me but [having a Shark] would have been very handy!
Do you like the business world?
I do. I have business people including a chief marketing officer and a creative director who help me with things. I didn’t go to business school, but I have a basic structure and, I feel, a good head on my shoulders. I did need to go to people who do this for a living.
You sound like you’re involved in this venture heavily?
Oh, yes. I am involved in every single aspect. I OK everything — the products, the packaging. I oversee the social media, which I think is everything when it comes to marketing, strategy, and influencers. That’s been our main push, and I have to say it’s working. I oversee everything.
Are there other products you’re working on?
We’re coming out with a gradual tanning line this summer: three products that will tan you. At the end of this year or in 2024, we’ll be doing more makeup and skin care [products]. Right now, I feel like the celebrity industry is saturated. It seems like everyone’s coming out with an eye shadow pallet. So we’re going to focus on more on skin care — a bronzer for the face — and [in the future] a lip gloss.
Were there any role model entrepreneurs who inspired you?
Yes. Sara Blakely. She’s the inventor of SPANX. She’s a big deal. She made her first pair of SPANX in her apartment. It’s led to a multi-billion-dollar industry. I follow her on social. I think she’s the biggest inspiration.
This answer may change from day to day but what’s your most memorable or favorite dance?
The first answer that comes to mind is my freestyle with Donald Driver [who played for the Green Bay Packers] — the country cowboy dance. It’s what won us the [mirror ball in Season 14]. I can taste the moment where I threw my hand up in the air at the end.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 32, Fall 2023, ABC and Disney+
