Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert Hough are officially parents — and their hearts are fuller than ever.
The Dancing With the Stars judge, 40, and his wife, 31, announced the arrival of their first child, a baby girl, on January 5, 2026. The couple shared the joyful news on Instagram alongside a touching black-and-white photo of themselves gently holding their newborn’s tiny feet.
“December 29, 2025 Everley Capri Hough 🤍 Every step of our lives has led us to you. Our hearts have been cracked wide open and our world is forever changed,” Derek and Hayley wrote in the caption, introducing fans to their daughter.
The milestone moment comes just over two years after the couple tied the knot. Derek and Hayley, who first met more than a decade ago, have long been a fan-favorite duo — both on and off the dance floor.
The pair first met in 2014 while touring together on Derek and Julianne Hough’s Move Live Tour. Their professional partnership eventually turned romantic in 2015, though they kept their relationship mostly private until going public in 2017. After eight years of dating, Derek proposed in 2022, and the two said “I do” on August 26, 2023.
The couple first revealed they were expecting in July 2025 with a sweet Instagram video. In the sun-soaked clip, Derek and Hayley embraced outdoors as Hayley proudly held up a strip of sonogram photos. “We can’t believe the biggest thing to happen to us could be so small ♥️,” they captioned the post.
As Hayley’s due date approached, she shared both laughs and real talk about preparing for parenthood. “The best piece of advice that I’ve gotten is not to listen to anybody’s advice,” she told E! News. “Because you will get so many people trying to give advice and then you’re just gonna be like, that doesn’t work for my child.”
Still, there was one meaningful suggestion the couple fully embraced. “The best piece of advice that Derek got was, if he’s able to and he’s willing, ‘Catch the baby,’” Hayley explained. “To be the first hands to catch your baby earth-side is the most special thing ever. And he would be the hands that bring the baby to me.”
Family excitement has been building, too. Derek’s sister Julianne Hough couldn’t be happier about welcoming another niece into the family.
“Hayley and Derek are such a beautiful match. They are the perfect combination of creativity and strength and they give so much love to each other and the people in their lives,” Julianne, 38, told People.
She added, “Having Derek, Hayley, and this new little angel living here in [Los Angeles] will be so amazing, and I couldn’t be more excited to spoil the baby rotten!”
