Peta Murgatroyd Reveals Why She’s Not On This Season Of ‘DWTS’

Peta Murgatroyd, who is married to Maksim Chmerkovskiy, has revealed that she will not be participating in the upcoming season of "Dancing With The Stars." The news comes a few weeks after the couple announced their son's arrival with a heartwarming joint Instagram post.

In a new video update shared with fans, Peta Murgatroyd, who has been a fan favorite on the show, shared the personal reasons behind her decision to sit out this season.

The couple, who are also parents to Shai Aleksander Chmerkovskiy and Rio John Chmerkovskiy, recently welcomed their newest addition to the family.

"He is officially evicted from his mom and he is sooooo cute!!!!" Maks wrote on Instagram last month. "Birth details later but for now we wanted to let you all know that mom and baby are doing perfect, and delivery took around 47 seconds total! Exactly one push!"

"Also thank you for all the beautiful messages we have been receiving," he continued. "Means a lot and very much appreciated."

With the arrival of their third son last month, Peta says it is just too soon for her to get back on the dance floor, so she is sitting out of season 33 of "Dancing With The Stars."

"So in terms of me [and] 'Dancing With The Stars,' I'm sorry, it's not this season," she said in a live video on social media. "It's just too soon."

While said she "actually really, really wanted to come back," the reality is that she's just not up for it right now. "There's no way I'm ready physically," she told her fans. "Mentally, yeah, I'm OK. But physically, I'm not up to par."

"I chose family over work this time," she added.

While Peta won't be competing, the ABC show is welcoming back Witney Carson, who sat out last season after she gave birth to her second child.

"Hi, guys, it's Witney Carson. I am so excited to announce that I am coming back to 'Dancing with the Stars' for season 33," the pro dancer said earlier this week in a video update shared with "Good Morning America." "Just you wait until you hear who my partner is. He will sweep you off your feet. We are so ready to get that Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy."

"So happy for her," Peta said of her costar returning to the competition show after welcoming her recent child. "She's come back after two kids, and I think she's gonna absolutely shine this season."

In 2022, Peta and Maks opened up about their fertility journey. "I promised you all that I would be open and honest. I had times where I was unsure of that decision throughout my IVF journey and even more so after we got the news that our transfer did not work," she shared, per People Magazine. "But going back on my word after being such an open book wouldn't be right."

In the video, the couple was shown their embryo under a microscope for the first time. “This moment caught me off guard,” she wrote over the footage. “Seeing my baby got me so emotional. Everything felt so right.” Peta also revealed that learning the transfer wasn't successful, just ten days after seeing the embryo, was “one of the saddest moments I'll never forget.”

Peta added, “That part was a moment in time where I saw my baby. It felt final, it felt like this was it. I got a little preview of them at the earliest stage of their life. It felt otherworldly special, I felt privileged. I really did think this was going to work.”

Fans got their first major announcement regarding the upcoming season of "Dancing With The Stars last week: Olympic medalist Stephen Nedoroscik will be competing for the Mirror Ball Trophy.

“I want to bring some of that gymnastics — maybe a backflip or handstand. I want to have fun with it,” he shared on "Good Morning America," teasing what viewers can expect from his performances on the dance floor.

The rest of the "Dancing with the Stars" cast will be announced on "Good Morning America" on September 4.

Season 33 of "Dancing with the Stars" kicks off Tuesday, September 17, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with episodes available for streaming on Hulu the following day.