Derek Hough & Hayley Erbert Welcome Baby: Julianne Hough & More React

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Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert‘s loved ones are ready to meet their tiny dancer.

When the Dancing With the Stars pair revealed they had a baby daughter named Everley Capri Hough, their loved ones were thrilled and quickly shared their congratulations.

Derek’s sister, Julianne Hough, happily welcomed her new niece, Everley, responding to the January 5th Instagram announcement with a pink heart and the message, “Welcome to the world sweet angel Everley.”

Mark Ballas, who danced with Whitney Leavitt on the latest season 34, was incredibly impressed. He simply wrote, along with a tearful smiley face, “She’s Perfect.”

Val Chmerkovskiy, who recently finished as a runner-up on the show with Alix Earle, celebrated Derek and Hayley’s latest achievement, writing, “Congrats on your greatest creation yet.”

I was so thrilled to see the positive reaction to this news, and it wasn’t just from the usual suspects! Even Robert Irwin, who won season 34, shared his excitement, simply writing, ‘Congratulations to you both. So happy.’ It just goes to show how heartwarming this is for everyone!

Kenny Ortega, who previously appeared as a judge on season 18 of Dancing with the Stars when Derek Hough was a professional dancer, also offered his congratulations to the new parents.

Derek and Hayley, who got married in 2023 after dating for eight years, recently announced the arrival of their baby, Everley. They shared a photo of Everley’s tiny feet with a heartwarming message: “Every step of our lives has led us to you. Our hearts are full, and our lives will never be the same.”

The director of High School Musical shared that Uncle Kenny is excited to meet the baby, and sent ‘an abundance of love and best wishes’ to everyone.

Meanwhile, Derek’s ex-girlfriend and longtime friend Nina Dobrev added, “Congratulations!!!!!!”

Hayley, 31, recently shared how she and her husband, Derek, 40, are getting ready for the next phase of their lives as they await the arrival of their baby, Everley. Hayley, who had emergency brain surgery two months ago to treat a bleed, plans to take things at her own pace.

Hayley shared with TopMob News in December that the most helpful advice she received was to ignore all advice. She explained that everyone offers opinions, but ultimately, what works for one child won’t necessarily work for another.

For a closer look at the growing Hough family tree, keep reading.

The Hough family’s father comes from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and he met his future wife, Mariann Heaton, while they were both on the ballroom dance team at Ricks College, which is now Brigham Young University-Idaho.

Bruce and Mariann, both raised in Mormon families with parents who loved ballroom dancing, made their home in Salt Lake City. Bruce built a career as a communications executive and helped start Nutraceutical Corporation, a supplement company that, as reported by the Deseret News, grew to be worth $300 million before being sold in 2017.

Bruce became involved in politics, leading the state Republican Party for two terms and then running for Congress in 2023.

Although he didn’t win the race, he told the Deseret News that he was motivated by securing a better future for his family. He explained, “I have a large family – 10 children and 22 grandchildren, and it’s still growing – and I’m worried about the future they’ll inherit in America.”

He jokingly said he never imagined his children’s dance lessons would lead to such success. What he was most proud of, though, was hearing from others that his son, Derek Hough, and daughter, Julianne Hough, were known as some of the nicest people in the entertainment industry.

Besides Derek and Julianne, Bruce also has three daughters – Sharee Hough Selman, Marabeth Poole, and Katherine Hough – with his first wife, Mariann. After their divorce in the late 1990s, Bruce married Debra Francom Hough, who also has five children.

Mariann grew up in Idaho Falls with three brothers.

When their parents, she and Bruce, were getting divorced, Julianne and her brother Derek—ages 10 and 13 at the time—moved to London to study at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

Mariann described their departure as “devastating” in a 2019 appearance on The Minds Gym podcast. However, she understood they needed to pursue their passion for dance. She explained that what helped her cope was realizing she’d grown up feeling controlled, a pattern she attributed to how her parents had been raised. She loves her parents, but it was a long-standing family dynamic.

She explained that she appreciates that experience now, as it ultimately led her to embrace the benefits of free agency. She also emphasized how important it was to instill that same sense of independence in her children, noting that they all confidently travel and pursue new experiences.

I’ve been following Mariann’s work for a while now, and she’s truly blossomed as a painter since moving to Franklin, Tennessee. She always says her husband, Aaron Nelson, is her biggest champion – he’s constantly supporting and encouraging her artistic journey, and it really shows in her pieces!

Sharee married husband Mark Selman when she was 19 and they share six kids.

The oldest of Bruce and Mariann’s children danced with Ballet West in Utah and now owns and operates a fitness company called Hough Werks, where she teaches yoga and dance.

Mariann described her eldest child as very energetic and full of life when they were born, as she shared on The Minds Gym podcast. She said her daughter, Sharee, was incredibly creative and driven from a young age, always thinking and exploring.

Moreover, with 11 years between Sharee and her youngest sister, “Julianne thinks she has two moms.”

Mariann described her daughter, Marabeth, as a kind and independent person who enjoys having time to herself. Marabeth also organizes small getaways for women in Nashville.

According to her sister Julianne, she moved from Utah to Nashville in September 2025 with dreams of becoming a country music star. Now, she’s pursuing her passions as a singer-songwriter while also working as a realtor and holistic health coach, bringing a positive attitude to everything she does.

Marabeth married Michael Poole in 2002 and they live in Nashville with son Aidan.

Mariann described her daughter Katherine, a mom of three, as someone who is genuinely warm and likable, saying she “just makes you smile” and is “real.”

Katherine, an esthetician, was with Tony Schnur before he sadly passed away from brain cancer in 2023. On the second anniversary of his death in February 2025, she shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, saying, “It’s unfair that I found my soulmate, my best friend, my partner in life, only to lose you too soon.” She added that she misses him every day.

You know, I’m constantly inspired by women who juggle it all, and Katherine is a perfect example! Julianne recently shared how amazed she is by Katherine – she’s a mom to three wonderful daughters, stays incredibly active, and somehow manages to plan everything with such grace. It’s truly inspiring to see how she balances it all!

On September 24, 2025, Katherine announced she’d found love again, sharing a heartwarming photo collection on Instagram. She wrote that after experiencing significant loss and pain, she didn’t think she’d find a love like this. She described Chris as the man she’d always hoped for – kind, generous, loving, patient, and a wonderful addition to her life and the lives of her daughters.

Derek, born on May 17, 1985, became a professional dancer on Dancing With the Stars in 2007. He’s won the show’s coveted Mirrorball Trophy six times – more than any other pro – and has also received four Emmy Awards for his dance choreography.

Derek stopped competing on Dancing with the Stars in 2016, but he joined the show as a permanent judge in 2020.

Okay, so I’ve been following Derek Hough FOREVER, and I was SO thrilled when he started dating Hayley Erbert back in 2015! They’ve had their ups and downs – he even mentioned on the Couple Things podcast how crazy things got at times – but honestly, seeing them finally tie the knot in August 2023 was EVERYTHING. I was practically crying happy tears, seriously!

Hayley and her partner faced a major challenge early in their marriage when Hayley suffered a life-threatening brain hemorrhage and needed immediate surgery, just four months after getting married. They were thrilled to share in July 2025 that they were expecting their first child.

In April 2024, Derek shared a photo on Facebook of his dad, Bruce, dancing at Bruce and Hayley’s wedding. He wrote a heartfelt message, saying he hopes to be as wonderful a father as his dad has been to their family – someone who is smart, kind, and thoughtful.

Born on July 20, 1988, the youngest member of the Hough family joined Dancing with the Stars in 2007 with Derek. She went on to win her first two seasons of the show.

Julianne began pursuing acting in 2009 and quickly gained recognition with a role in the 2010 film Burlesque. Though she actually appeared in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001, it was a small, uncredited part. She then landed the lead role in the 2011 remake of Footloose. From 2014 to 2017, she returned to the world of dance as a judge, even winning an Emmy for her choreography. Since 2023, she’s been co-hosting DWTS alongside Alfonso Ribeiro.

Julianne married Brooks Laich in 2017. They separated in 2020 and officially divorced in 2022.

In a 2024 interview on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, she explained that her divorce allowed her to rebuild her relationship with her parents, who were very supportive during a difficult time.

“That really helped me,” Julianne said. “It allowed me to feel like a child again, and let my parents take care of me. It was incredibly healing.”

Julianne explained on her podcast, Not Skinny But Not Fat, that while her and Derek becoming the focus of family attention didn’t cause jealousy among their siblings, it did make them feel a little sad that they hadn’t had the same opportunities.

Julianne explained that Sharee, Marabeth, and Katherine are very content with their lives and truly enjoy them. However, Julianne added that her group had a unique chance that wasn’t available to them, and that was difficult to accept.

Julianne explained that while she and Derek share a strong connection, he and her sister were very close growing up. She feels she missed out on that kind of sisterly bond, and they’ve both moved on to have marriages and families, experiences she hasn’t had.

Mariann shared on The Minds Gym that her five siblings have a very close relationship. She believes the biggest challenge is simply being apart, as they create a special energy when they’re together.

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2026-01-05 22:48