Ezra Sosa Is Proof That Manifesting Really Works

Ezra Sosa is calling in before his Dancing With the Stars tour rehearsal. But ahead of our discussion about his career, the 25-year-old dancer and I reminisce about our last meeting in May 2025, before Season 34 premiered. This was after his less-than-stellar first season as a pro on the show with celebrity partner Anna Delvey. At the time, I asked Sosa and his best friend Rylee Arnold what they were hoping for in the upcoming season, and Arnold was quick to say, “We’re manifesting a great partner for Ezra.” Sosa tells me his wish came true when he was paired up with Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles. “I was super blessed for that,” he says.

Even though the two ultimately lost the Mirror Ball Trophy to Robert Irwin and Witney Carson in November 2025, the gymnast and dancer came in third place overall and had one of the most talked-about dances in the finale. The freestyle routine to Beyoncè’s “Bow Down” featured a surprise appearance from Normani, and it had fans online comparing it to a halftime show performance.

“That one was a favorite moment for me,” Sosa says. “How that came together was like the universe aligned.” It wasn’t the only dance Sosa had to choreograph that week, either. During finale week, Sosa and Chiles had six different routines to learn. “You have no day off,” he says.

After they rehearsed together for four hours each day, Sosa would then choreograph the next dance. “You always have to work a week ahead on the show, so I was finalizing the routine I just taught her, then choreographing, and coming up with the creative for our next one.”

Now that the season is over and he’s on the DWTS tour until May, Sosa still hasn’t had much time to relax. “Once you're doing this job, it is a full commitment,” he says. “I don’t think people really understand how active we are, and how much work we do for nine months of our year.”

While Sosa’s schedule may be busy, the ballroom dancer is grateful for where he’s at now. As an “annoying, insecure, shy [kid with] so much talent and charisma,” Sosa started dancing at 7, which he says was late compared to other professionals from his hometown in Provo, Utah, a city known for its ballroom scene. Despite growing up surrounded by it, Sosa never thought he’d become a professional dancer. “I only got into dance because of my sister [Stephani Sosa],” he says. The Irish twins, born 15 months apart, did everything together growing up. “We were best friends, so when she started going into dance class, I had to go to dance class.”

That was the battle of my life, because at the time, they weren’t really looking for anyone as a pro. I had to prove myself even more.

Sosa says getting into dance was a way for him to feel at home. “Being gay and finding an identity within myself was really hard in Utah,” he says. “Going out and traveling to different competitions was my escape because for the first time I was surrounded by people who were like-minded and just loved to dance.” (Sosa also says that being a Scorpio helped him thrive in a competitive setting.)

From the ballroom, Sosa made his first television debut at 14 on America’s Got Talent and then on Jennifer Lopez’s World of Dance in 2018 as part of a dance troupe. It wasn’t until he auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance at 18 that Sosa was fully on his own. “I really feel lucky because SYTYCD was the perfect stepping stone for me to get on Dancing With the Stars,” he says. “I always looked at my time on the show as a high-school experience, because the producers created an environment where we could learn and grow — which doesn’t really happen often.”

Sosa joined Dancing With the Stars in 2021 after a grueling casting process over Zoom. Unlike many dancers before him, Sosa was able to move up in the ranks in just three years, from ensemble and troupe dancer to pro in 2024. “That was the battle of my life, because at the time, they weren’t really looking for anyone as a pro. I had to prove myself even more,” he says. “Every person has a different journey on Dancing With the Stars.”

Not only was it laborious to get to that top position, but Sosa was at a disadvantage his first year as a pro. His partner, Delvey, didn’t enjoy the experience as much as other celebs have, and even said after she was eliminated that she was taking “nothing” from the show. Sosa says he was actually happy she said so little during that now-viral moment. “The look on her face, I was like, ‘Oh, no, she’s going to go in,’ so I was relieved she said nothing because that’s a gag.” Sosa even got “nothing” tattooed on his left shoulder after the season.

That same year, Sosa, who grew up Mormon, shared with People that he would love to join the cast of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Just a few months later, in early 2025, an opportunity to appear on the reality show came up, and of course, Sosa took advantage of the moment.

“That’s how Jen [Affleck] manifested herself on Dancing With the Stars,” says Sosa. “I was in Utah for tour, and she knew that, and was like, ‘Hey, do you want to teach me some salsa on the show?’” After saying “heck freaking yeah,” Sosa met up with Affleck to teach her a quick routine. “I could tell this was her moment to prove she could do Dancing With the Stars,” he says. “That’s what I love about my time on Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: I got to see Jen having this dream of being on DWTS, and it unfolded in front of my eyes.”

What I did was create a new lane of content for everyone to just start posting.

Despite previously working with Affleck, Sosa was paired up with Chiles for Season 34, and the two connected right away. There were even rumors that the two were engaged. “During our first press line for the show, somebody asked us if we were together, and I was like, ‘Clearly he’s never seen this show or met me.’” Sosa and the former Olympian joked about getting matching “just married” tattoos. However, what they really got was “for good,” inspired by their Wicked routine.

While he may not have a fiancé or Mirror Ball Trophy (just yet) from the show, Sosa has one of the largest followings on social media out of the cast, with more than 1.3 million across TikTok and Instagram. “I definitely brought the essence of being unhinged [online] to DWTS, which people love so much,” he says.

Even though he can’t take the credit for popularizing the show on TikTok, Sosa says, “What I did was create a new lane of content for everyone to just start posting. This past season, everyone hopped on that bandwagon, and it just made the show even more epic.”

The Season 34 finale had more than 9 million viewers and was the No. 1 most social program of 2025, with 6.9 million social interactions. Those who followed along can now see the couples perform live during the 74-show tour. The show — which makes stops in New York City, Boston, and Orlando — is choreographed by Mandy Moore, who also worked with Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour and “Fate of Ophelia” music video. “She is a freaking wizard, and stepping up to a level that I don’t think any of the fans are expecting,” says Sosa. “These routines have me floored, and the creative direction that Mandy’s bringing to it is also something DWTS has never seen before.”

While out on the road, he also plans to start pursuing acting by taking lessons. “For the longest time, I only saw myself as a Dancing With the Stars pro, but these past two years presented opportunities outside of the show that I want to be 100% ready for.” But Sosa isn’t trying to be just another athlete who starts acting. “If I'm ever given the opportunity, I want to know exactly what I’m doing and that it feels deserved.”

He’s setting his sights on a role in Season 2 of Heated Rivalry. “I need to be on that show so bad. They’re all so hot,” he says. “Also, if [Hudson Williams or Connor Storrie] ever want to do Dancing With the Stars, I am their partner, OK?”

After successfully manifesting a partner like Chiles and a guest spot on Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, the odds seem to be ever in his favor.