Julia Stiles breaks down in tears, injures rib rehearsing for “Dancing With the Stars”’ ‘Yacht Rock Night’
Julia Stiles breaks down in tears, injures rib rehearsing for “Dancing With the Stars”’ ‘Yacht Rock Night’
Ryan ColemanWed, September 30, 2026 at 1:14 AM UTC
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Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ season 35Credit: dancing with the stars/instagramKey Points -
Julia Stiles emerged triumphant from a rocky rehearsal on Dancing With the Stars season 35 week 3.
The Save the Last Dance actress started strong in the premiere but seriously faltered with a shaky tango last week, giving her and pro partner Ezra Sosa a low score of 16.
But after injuring her rib and emotionally breaking down in rehearsals, Stiles and Ezra’s salsa wowed the judges.
Make no mistake: Julia Stiles is a contender.
The beloved star of teen classics like Save the Last Dance and 10 Things I Hate About You has had a turbulent go on Dancing With the Starsthus far. She was the unambiguous highlight of the season 35 cast back when it was announced at the top of the month. And she had a strong premiere week showing with her pro partner, Ezra Sosa.
But she faltered in week 2, stepping out on an unsure foot to dance a shakytango to “The Door” by Teddy Swims. Their week 1 score of 18 fell to 16, and Stiles was clearly affected by the hit at the top of week 3. The actress broke down in tears moments into her rehearsal package on Tuesday’s episode. “I’m actually disappointed in myself; that was not my best dance,” she confessed. “It’s all fun and games until you get a 5.”
And it would only get harder before it got easier for Stiles.
Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa face the judges on ‘Dancing With the Stars’Credit: abc
As she and Sosa rehearsed the salsa they planned to “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” by Daryl Hall & John Oates, Stiles suffered a rib injury. Wincing through the pain, she carried on, explaining to Sosa, “I’m an actress. I’m used to having a script. The director and the editor protect you, and your performance is done before people see it. But this is just me — very vulnerable.”
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Sometimes we stumble and fall, and sometimes we somersault, vault, and land with both feet on the ground. Stiles pulled off the latter.
She and Sosa scored a 19 — their highest of the season so far. “I was on the struggle bus last week, but I got off it, and he pulled me off it, and I’m just having fun. I finally found the fun in it again,” she told cohost Julianne Hough after receiving the score.
Reflecting on the support she’s received on social media since entering the competition, Stiles, who joined TikTok expressly for the purpose of the show, shared, “It feels really good. The support means everything. It really boosts me. And I know we were kinda quiet last week, but that’s because we were really focused! I really wanted to work hard!”
Whether that hard work paid off in sparing her from another elimination remains to be seen, but she’s certainly advanced from the back of the pack.
New episodes of Dancing With the Stars season 35 air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
