Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui Found Out She Was Joining ‘DWTS’ 2 Days Before Cast Reveal

Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui barely had time to prepare before she was announced as one of the celebs competing on Dancing With the Stars season 34.

The full list of contestants and pros was revealed during the Wednesday, September 3, broadcast of Good Morning America, with fans getting their first glimpse of the pairings they’ll be voting for this fall to win the mirrorball trophy. While several of the newly revealed celebs gushed about their first impressions of their partners, 29-year-old Jauregui hinted she and pro Brandon Armstrong connected at the last minute.

“I actually learned that I was going to be on the show two days ago,” she admitted. “So I haven’t unfortunately gotten to get in [the studio] with Brandon yet, but we’re gonna get there.”

The pop star’s bandmates Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane and Normani were also out of the loop until Wednesday morning. “I literally texted them this morning, and was like, ‘Hey guys, just so you know … ‘” Jauregui joked.

Despite having a slower start to the season, the X Factor alum is ready to compete. “I’m super excited,” she said on Wednesday. “I’m not scared.”

The season 34 cast also includes Dylan Efron, Jordan Chiles, Robert Irwin, Alix Earle, Baron Davis, Hilaria Baldwin, Danielle Fishel and more icons from Hollywood and beyond. While opening up about the rehearsal experience on her “Danielle With the Stars” podcast, Fishel, 44, confirmed Jauregui came on board “totally last second.”

“She unfortunately wasn’t then at our promo shoots with us. She hasn’t been at rehearsal with us yet,” Fishel told listeners on Wednesday, noting that at the time of recording, she had only met the singer “very briefly.”

Jauregui isn’t the first Fifth Harmony member to set her sights on the DWTS ballroom. Normani, 29, finished in third place with pro Val Chmerkovskiy when she competed on season 24 in 2017. Brooke, 32, later appeared on season 28 in 2019, also placing third with her partner, Sasha Farber.

As their name suggests, Fifth Harmony rose to fame with a total of five members after being put together on The X Factor in 2012. Camila Cabello announced her departure from the group in 2016, two years before the band went on hiatus.

Days before the DWTS cast was revealed on GMA, Jauregui, Normani, Brooke and Jane, 28, reunited on stage during the Jonas Brothers’ Greetings from Your Hometown Tour in Dallas, performing their hit “Work From Home.”

“This weekend was SUCH a whirlwind!!! Omg!” Jauregui gushed via Instagram following the Sunday, August 31, concert. “I just wanted to say THANK YOU!! Thank you to the @jonasbrothers for having us🥰 thank you to our amazing teams and the GIRLS @fifthharmony ! I missed yall🥲🫂 … New special things on the horizon! God is so good!! Ahh! Ok love you bye!”

Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC and Disney+ September 16 at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.