Derek Hough Speaks Out About Ryan Seacrest’s Claim That He Jumped on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Prop, Could've Broken It

Derek Hough told his side of the story of what happened on his episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, two days after host Ryan Seacrest claimed the professional dancer hopped on the show’s famed wheel.

“BTW, this is 1000% NOT true,” Hough, 40, wrote in his Wednesday, Oct. 22 Instagram Story, beneath a screenshot of Seacrest’s claims. 

Seacrest, 50, claimed Hough stepped on the wheel — something he wasn’t supposed to do — when Hough appeared on the Sept. 26 episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune alongside fellow Dancing with the Stars personalities Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy and Bruno Tonioli.

“In the commercial break, [Hough] was jumping on the center of the wheel and having Bruno spin it, much like the top of a cake ornament,” the show host said in a recent USA Today interview when discussing Hough's behavior on set.

“We did say, ‘Please don't do that,’” Seacrest added. “That would break it, and there's only one of those wheels. If that breaks, we have a real problem.”

In his response, Hough wrote, “I would never disrespect a set like that however awesome that would’ve been to be ‘spun around it like a cake ornament’ haha.”

The Emmy-winning choreographer won the episode and earned $63,350 for the Feeding America organization. To celebrate his win, Hough jumped on the podium but avoided any damage to the set. 

Hough and Seacrest have a history. The show host previously dated Hough’s sister, Julianne Hough, from 2010 to 2013. Julianne is also a professional dancer and co-hosts Dancing with the Stars alongside Alfonso Ribeiro. 

Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights (check local listings) on ABC. New episodes of Wheel of Fortune stream on Peacock, Hulu and Disney+ the next day.