“Dancing with the Stars” pro Mark Ballas couldn’t be happier for Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert.
“Play dates with baby Hough + Banksi are about to be ELITE!!!!! 🥺🥺🥺🥺,” Ballas wrote under Hough’s emotional TikTok announcement, as his longtime friend and “DWTS” co-star revealed he and wife Hayley Erbert are expecting their first child.
In the video of the announcement, posted on social media, Derek approaches Hayley as the couple lovingly locks eyes, embraces, and shares a kiss. Hayley then unfolds sonogram photos to show him the big news. Derek captioned the video, “I can’t believe the biggest thing to happen to Us could be so small ❤️” — a touching line that fans quickly noticed mirrored lyrics from a song by Ballas and his wife, BC Jean.
Ballas and Hough’s Friendship Comes Full Circle
The announcement struck a personal chord for Ballas, who became a father last fall. He and BC Jean welcomed their son, Banksi Wylde Ballas, on Nov. 5, 2023. “We are overjoyed to share the news that our baby entered the world and has already made our hearts fuller than we could have ever imagined,” the couple shared in a joint post at the time it was reported by ABC.
Ballas’s excitement over the Houghs’ new chapter also reflects how far the two have come together both on and off the “DWTS” stage. Last year, Ballas opened up about privately experiencing a miscarriage with BC during season 31, where he competed with Charli D’Amelio and ultimately won the Mirrorball trophy. He revealed Derek was “one of the only people who knew” and supported him through the heartbreak.
“We really are like brothers,” Ballas said in a December 2024 interview. “We’ve been there for each other through each other’s ups and downs.”
Derek’s caption — “the biggest thing to happen to us could be so small” — mirrors a lyric from “So Small,” a song Ballas and Jean wrote during their journey to parenthood. The track, which plays throughout the TikTok video, was released in 2023 by their band Alexander Jean. “We wrote this song about the anticipation & overwhelming excitement of becoming a parent,” the couple explained at the time. “If you are a parent or about to be this song is for you.”
Earlier this year, Ballas reflected on the experience of fatherhood, writing in a tribute to Banksi, “It is my life’s proudest accomplishment watching you grow so fast but can you slow down just a little bit? Just a little… I can’t believe the biggest thing to happen to me could be so small 🫶🏼.”
