For over a decade, Peta Murgatroyd has dazzled the ballroom with her grace, precision, and star-making charisma on Dancing With the Stars. But now, the two-time Mirrorball champion has announced she is stepping away from the pro ranks — closing a chapter that defined much of her career and launching a brand-new venture that already has fans talking.
The Australian-born dancer first joined the show in 2011 and quickly became a household name. She captured the Mirrorball trophy alongside NFL star Donald Driver in 2012 and again in 2016 with Nyle DiMarco, one of the most iconic wins in DWTS history. Known for her fierce choreography and emotional storytelling, Peta established herself as one of the most beloved pros in the show’s legacy.
In recent years, Murgatroyd’s focus has expanded beyond the ballroom. Married to fellow DWTS alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy since 2017, she is now a mother of three. After sitting out Season 33 due to postpartum recovery, speculation swirled about her return for Season 34. While she hinted in interviews that she was open to coming back, the official cast list confirmed she will not appear this season.
Instead, Peta is embarking on an exciting new chapter: podcasting. Her freshly launched show, The Penthouse with Peta, promises to take fans “behind the glam” for honest and unfiltered conversations with reality TV’s biggest personalities. The debut episode, featuring Selling Sunset and HGTV star Heather Rae El Moussa, has already generated buzz. New episodes will be released weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
In her podcast trailer, Peta described the vision behind the project: “We’ll laugh, we’ll cry, we’ll order room service, and we’re gonna tell it like it is.” Unlike the polished perfection of the ballroom, The Penthouse with Peta offers her the chance to connect with audiences in a raw, personal way — something many fans say they’ve long craved.
This isn’t her first foray into digital media. Alongside Maks, she co-created The Maks and Peta Show on YouTube, where the couple shares family updates and commentary on current events. Still, the pivot into podcasting feels like a major shift — one that signals Peta may be preparing to officially close her pro-dancing chapter. At 39, and with her husband long retired from the competition, many believe this could mark the end of her journey as a DWTS professional.
While Peta hasn’t confirmed whether she’s retiring for good, her absence will be deeply felt on the dance floor. For fans, her departure is bittersweet — a farewell to the elegance and fire she brought to every routine, but also an exciting new beginning as she reinvents her career. Whether or not she returns to the ballroom, one thing is certain: Peta Murgatroyd’s story is far from over.
