Does Derek Hough Have Kids? His Wife and Family Explained

The Short Answer

Yes — Derek Hough has one child. His birthday is May 17, 1985, and he was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Dancing with the Stars pro won the show a record six times before becoming a judge — and a four-time Emmy winner for choreography.

The question comes up constantly because Derek Hough keeps his personal life mostly out of the spotlight while staying highly visible professionally. Fans searching for his age or family usually want the quick version first: he has one daughter. On the relationship front, he married dancer Hayley Erbert in 2023. Below is the full verified picture — birth date and birthplace, children, partner history and what he is doing now — drawn from public records and reputable biographical sources.

The "does Derek Hough have kids" question comes from the DWTS faithful, who watched him win six trophies, marry his dance partner, survive a terrifying health scare together — and then welcome daughter Everley in December 2025. The answer is yes: one little girl, and a fanbase that has followed every step.

Who Is Derek Hough?

Derek Bruce Hough is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, actor, singer and television personality. From 2007 to 2016 he was a professional dancer on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, winning the show a record-breaking six times with his celebrity partners — more than any other pro in the show's history. For his choreography he received 14 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning the award four times. He later became a judge on the series beginning with its 29th season, and his sister is fellow DWTS star Julianne Hough.

What makes Derek Hough's story stick is how long he has stayed relevant. His six DWTS mirrorball trophies remain the all-time record. Critics and fans alike point to his consistency: through lineup changes in the industry, shifts in public taste and the occasional controversy, Derek Hough has kept working at the highest level. That longevity is exactly why questions about his age and family keep surfacing — people who grew up with his work are now old enough to wonder about the life behind it.

Early Life and Birthday

Derek Bruce Hough was born on May 17, 1985, in Salt Lake City, Utah, into a Mormon family of dancers — his sister Julianne is four years younger. At 12 he moved to London to train under renowned coaches Corky and Shirley Ballas, alongside future stars like Mark Ballas. The London years forged his technique; by his late teens he was competing at the highest levels of Latin dance before television came calling.

His birthday, May 17, 1985, lands he under the Taurus zodiac sign — a detail fans bring up every year when the milestone rolls around. At 41, Derek Hough belongs to a generation that came of age alongside the modern celebrity news cycle, which is part of why every birthday now arrives with a fresh round of retrospectives on his life and career.

Derek Hough's Child

Derek Hough has one daughter, Everley Capri Hough, born December 29, 2025, with his wife Hayley Erbert. The couple announced the birth on January 5, 2026, with a black-and-white photo of their hands cupping the baby's feet, writing that their world was forever changed. Everley is a "rainbow baby" — the couple had previously spoken publicly about a miscarriage — and her arrival made headlines across the dance world, with congratulations pouring in from DWTS colleagues including his sister Julianne.

Like many public figures, Derek Hough keeps his children largely out of the spotlight, sharing only occasional glimpses on social media or at public events. He has described parenthood in interviews as grounding — a counterweight to the demands of his career. The family details above reflect what has been publicly confirmed; Derek Hough has asked for privacy around the children's day-to-day lives, and reputable outlets have respected that line.

Marriages and Relationships

Derek Hough married dancer Hayley Erbert in August 2023 in California, after eight years together. Erbert, a former So You Think You Can Dance contestant, had been his dance partner on tour before becoming his fiancée. The wedding was a dance-world event, with Julianne Hough among the party. Months later, Erbert underwent emergency brain surgery for a cranial hematoma — a terrifying episode the couple documented publicly, and from which she recovered.

Through it all, Derek Hough has managed to keep the relationship side of his life relatively dignified by celebrity standards — no tabloid circus, just the occasional confirmed milestone. He rarely discusses romance in depth, preferring to let the work speak, which is why each new development tends to make headlines when it does surface.

Career Highlights

Hough's post-competition career has been a masterclass in diversification: judging Dancing with the Stars, starring in stage productions, launching Las Vegas residencies with his sister, and acting on screen. His Emmy-winning choreography — blending ballroom technique with contemporary storytelling — influenced a generation of TV dance. He and Julianne remain the first family of American ballroom, the rare siblings who both conquered the same show.

What ties it together is work ethic. Colleagues consistently describe Derek Hough as disciplined and prepared — the kind of professional who shows up early and stays late. That reputation has kept he employed through eras that ended plenty of contemporaries' careers, and it is a big part of why his name still carries weight with both audiences and the industry.

Where Is Derek Hough Now?

At 41, Hough judges Dancing with the Stars, tours, and choreographs, with Erbert recovered and back dancing beside him. The health scare of late 2023 gave the couple a new public dimension — advocates for brain-injury awareness — and their marriage, forged through it, looks stronger than ever. Fatherhood is the newest chapter: daughter Everley, born in December 2025, has already joined them on tour, and Hough has spoken about savoring the moments he gets with her between shows.

At 41, Derek Hough shows no sign of slowing down. With the family life described above settled and the career still active, he remains one of the more durable figures in his field — the kind of star whose age surprises people precisely because the work never stopped long enough for anyone to notice the years passing.

Derek Hough: Key Life Timeline

May 17, 1985 — born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Derek Bruce Hough was born on May 17, 1985, in Salt Lake City, Utah, into a Mormon family of dancers — his sister Julianne is four years younger. At 12 he moved to London to train under renowned coaches Corky and Shirley Ballas, alongside future stars like Mark Ballas. The Taurus-born future star showed early signs of the drive that would define his career, and the upbringing described above shaped the work ethic that carried he through every later chapter.

The breakthrough. Derek Bruce Hough is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, actor, singer and television personality. From 2007 to 2016 he was a professional dancer on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, winning the show a record-breaking six times with his celebrity partners — more than any other pro in the show's history. For his choreography he received 14 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning the award four times. That arrival changed everything: suddenly Derek Hough was not just working but leading, with the industry's attention and the public's affection arriving together.

The peak years. His six DWTS mirrorball trophies remain the all-time record. During this stretch Derek Hough stacked achievements faster than most careers manage in a lifetime, and the question of his age started following he everywhere — a sign he had become a generational fixture.

Family life. Derek Hough has one daughter, Everley Capri Hough, born December 29, 2025, with his wife Hayley Erbert. The couple announced her birth on January 5, 2026. Yes. Derek Hough married dancer Hayley Erbert in August 2023 after eight years together. She is a former So You Think You Can Dance contestant. Parenthood added a new dimension to the public story, and Derek Hough has balanced it with the career ever since.

Today, at 41. At 41, Hough judges Dancing with the Stars, tours, and choreographs, with Erbert recovered and back dancing beside him. The health scare of late 2023 gave the couple a new public dimension — advocates for brain-injury awareness — and their marriage, forged through it, looks stronger than ever. The years have added perspective without dulling the ambition, and Derek Hough remains a working, relevant figure rather than a nostalgia act.

Why the age question endures. The "does Derek Hough have kids" question comes from the DWTS faithful, who watched him win six trophies, marry his dance partner, survive a terrifying health scare together — and then welcome daughter Everley in December 2025. The answer is yes: one little girl, and a fanbase that has followed every step. That is the real reason the searches never stop: Derek Hough is not just a birth date and a filmography but a timeline people lived alongside — and everybody wants to know where their own years went.

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