Derek Hough is marking another milestone in his first year as a father, sharing a rare glimpse of his 9-month-old daughter Everley with wife Hayley Erbert.
The Dancing With the Stars judge posted a photo of himself holding his baby girl close as he reflected on how quickly she is growing. Everley’s face was turned away from the camera, continuing the couple’s relatively private approach to sharing their daughter publicly.
Hough celebrated Everley turning nine months old
Hough shared the family moment on Instagram on October 4, noting that Everley had reached nine months. In the image, the dancer holds his daughter in his arms and looks toward her while she faces away from the camera.
His brief message captured a familiar feeling for new parents: the sense that the first year is moving faster than expected. Hough wrote that his daughter was getting too big, prompting affectionate reactions from family and fans.
His sister Julianne Hough was among those celebrating the update, publicly expressing her love for her niece.
Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert welcomed Everley earlier this year
Everley is the first child for Hough and Erbert. The couple’s path into parenthood followed several major life events, including Erbert’s serious health crisis in late 2023, when she required emergency brain surgery after becoming disoriented during a performance.
Her recovery became an emotional chapter for the couple, who later returned to performing together. Their transition into parenthood has added another dimension to a relationship that fans have followed through dance, marriage, recovery and family life.
Hough has occasionally shared the less glamorous side of parenting as well, joking about travel mishaps and the unpredictable realities of caring for a baby. Those candid moments have helped balance the polished world audiences usually see from the professional dancer and television judge.
The ‘DWTS’ judge is embracing fatherhood
Hough remains busy professionally, but his recent updates make clear that fatherhood has become a major focus away from the ballroom. His latest post did not reveal a major announcement or carefully staged celebrity photo shoot; instead, it captured a quiet moment between a father and daughter.
The decision to keep Everley’s face mostly out of public view also reflects a growing approach among celebrity parents who share milestones without making their children’s identities the center of their social-media presence.
At nine months, Everley is still in the earliest stages of childhood, but Hough’s reaction suggests he is already feeling how quickly those stages pass. For fans accustomed to seeing him evaluate precise choreography on Dancing With the Stars, his latest update shows a very different role—one in which there is no rehearsal and every milestone arrives on its own schedule.