Alix Earle Reveals Why Braxton Berrios Won’t Be at Her ‘DWTS’ Debut (Exclusive)

Braxton Berrios won’t be present on the Dancing with the Stars set to cheer on his girlfriend Alix Earle as she dances her way through the season 34 premiere on Sept. 16.

At a press event following the cast reveal on Wednesday, Sept. 3, Earle, 24, and her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy, 39, spoke to PEOPLE about their pairing and the exciting competition ahead of them. When asked whether or not the influencer expected her boyfriend, Houston Texans player Braxton Berrios, to support her live, she referred to a clash in their career schedules.

“He’s stuck in football world right now, so unfortunately he won’t be able to come,” Earle said of Berrios, 29, whose NFL team is scheduled to play a game the night before her first show.

The TikToker added that she’s “hoping that maybe I can get to Houston for a weekend or so and go support him.”

This year, Earle’s DWTS run happens to coincide with the beginning of the NFL season, but she’s already proved herself to be Berrios’ biggest cheerleader. Last October, she took to her Instagram Stories to show her commitment to Berrios after his season-ending injury with his previous team, the Miami Dolphins.

“Day in and day out you inspire me and I have no doubt that you will be back and better in no time,” Earle wrote of the wide receiver, whom she started dating in early 2023. “Proud to be by your side and cheer you on. I love you.”

Months later, Earle confirmed her spot as a competitor on the latest season of DWTS during a May appearance on Good Morning America. Her partnership with pro Val Chmerkovskiy was revealed on Sept. 3, about two weeks before the season premiere on Sept. 16.

Earle — who rose to fame through her Get Ready with Me (GRWM) videos — was in attendance when DWTS taped its milestone 500th episode last November. In a TikTok posted beforehand, the influencer told her 7.5 million TikTok followers that she was “so excited” to be in the audience because she is “such a fan of the show.”

“I have been watching it every week religiously. And I heard that going to the show live is really fun,” she said, continuing to tout her background as a dancer since childhood.

“I also grew up dancing, so I just love a good performance,” said the Hot Mess podcast host. “But a lot of people didn’t know that about me. I was dancing competitively until my junior, senior year of high school.”

Earle isn’t the only social media star vying for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy this season. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast members Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt will be dancing as well. Leavitt is paired with Mark Ballas, and Affleck is competing alongside DWTS‘ newest pro Jan Ravnik.

Dancing with the Stars season 34 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and simulcast on Disney+. The show streams the next day on Hulu.