Ezra Sosa has made quite a name for himself in just three seasons as a pro on Dancing with the Stars. At just 25, the Provo, Utah native has quickly become a fan favorite on a show that’s been around for more than two decades, working his way up from the dance troupe to partnering with ankle monitor-wearing Anna Delvey, Olympian Jordan Chiles, and, currently, ‘90s queen Julia Stiles.
In that short time, he’s also been able to cultivate his own impressive social media following. He boasts more than 1 million followers on TikTok, where some of his recent videos have racked up highs of 8 million views. He’s also done it all by being authentically Ezra, keeping it real — and, yes, out, gay, and proud — with his followers.
As one of only two out gay dancers in the show’s history, he’s bringing queer representation into the spotlight — and on the dance floor — on one of network TV’s biggest competition shows. That’s a responsibility Sosa doesn’t take lightly, as he also takes center stage posing for SO.GAY’s latest cover.
After Ezra’s cover shoot, Brian Particelli caught up with the dancing star on behalf of SO.GAY, where he shared some behind the scenes secrets about DWTS, the sage advice he got from Louis van Amstel before becoming a pro, his hope for the show to cash in on the Heated Rivalry wave and cast its first male-presenting pairing, and some insight on his dating life. Yes, boys, he’s single … and definitely mingling.
So.Gay: Congratulations on the cover shoot! First off, how did it go?
Ezra Sosa: I didn’t know what to expect because I don’t do cover shoots like this. I feel like I’m always in a rhinestone shirt, biting my teeth, really performing. Getting to do something super high fashion and super editorial was such a nice little change of pace for me, and I really didn’t expect how much I enjoyed just the whole shoot in general. There were extra dancers there. I love getting to work with other dancers, especially dancers that aren’t in the world that I’m in. It was a really fun set. And the amount of queer energy in that room was insane and so inspiring. I’m really honored that I got to do that.
So.Gay: I can’t wait to see how they turned out!
Ezra Sosa: I showed my mom and my mom has particular taste. Like, my mom just loves me in a snazzy little suit. And I showed her and she was stunned by these pictures. So I’m very excited for these pictures to come out.
So.Gay: Well, congrats again. Right now, you’re three seasons in on Dancing with the Stars as a pro. What advice would you give to newcomers coming on the show? Is there something you wish you had known when you were first bumped up to pro dancer?
Ezra Sosa: Everyone told me this when I first joined the show as a pro, but I wish I could just shake my head and remind myself that there is no other experience to train to be a professional Dancing with the Stars other than just doing it. There’s no rulebook to being a pro, there’s not a course you can take online to being a pro. You just have to experience it.
So I wish, even in my first season, I wish I allowed myself grace to be like, ‘No, you’re still new at this, you’re still learning and growing.’ Especially with my second season with Jordan Chiles, there were so many learning curves for me, because it was my first time doing the whole enchilada, from top to tail, doing a whole season. Just have grace throughout the whole process and know you’re not supposed to be the most fantastic pro your first season. You’re supposed to actually grow into it, which I definitely feel more comfortable in my own skin as a pro.
So.Gay: Good. We all love a little behind the scenes tea. Just what is something that happens backstage at the show that might surprise viewers at home?
Ezra Sosa: Even as a pro, we do so much on the show. We are in charge of helping the music selection. We are in charge of helping the wardrobe and the costuming. We’re in charge of what specific camera angles, what the ballroom needs to look like. These are things that I don’t think everyone at home really understands.
So.Gay: You never know who you’re going to be paired with every season. When cast member names do start to leak out, what starts going through your head and how do you mentally prepare before you find out who you’re partnered with?
Ezra Sosa: Well, honestly, you don’t really want to set yourself up for failure. So whenever we’re hearing these leaks and these names, I’m just stoked. Of course the idea crosses my mind, ‘What if I’m paired with this person? What if I’m paired with that person?’ But the number one thing is you can’t expect who your partner is, because then it’s someone that you don’t even expect. But I will say, when word was catching around that Julia Stiles was on the show, I was very much hoping that she was my partner, and I didn’t think that she would be, but she did request me. So I’m very grateful for that. She’s Julia Stiles. I was like, ‘Oh, come on, this is insane.’ So I’m really grateful that she’s my partner this season.
So.Gay: Dancing with the Stars has been on the air 20 years now, but you and Louis van Amstel are the only two out professional dancers in the show’s two-decade history. What does it mean for you personally to be that representation for such a popular show?
Ezra Sosa: It means the world to me. In my first season with Anna Delvey, I was told by multiple different people, ‘You kind of created a lane for new talent,’ because after I became a pro, the next season after, we actually had two queer dancers, Jackson and Carter, in our troupe. So in a weird way, it felt like it was me kind of paving the way for more queer representation on the show.
But Louis Van Amstel was the blueprint. He was the OG. And I remember my first season as a pro, I called him and I was like, ‘I don’t even know how to present myself,’ because there hasn’t really been a space for a queer pro except for Louis. And he gave me the best advice ever. He told me that there’s a magic to being gay, and it’s not that you just have to be femme all the time, or you have to be rhinestones, you can also be masculine, too. And him knowing me ever since I was a kid, he knows that there’s so many different sides of me, just as a creator, as an individual, as a personality, and he just made sure it was really important for me as a professional in Dancing with the Stars to just showcase all the different sides of the amazingness of being gay and queer, and that was something really important to hear at the time.
So.Gay: I love that. And have you been able to pay it forward? Are younger fans, queer fans out there watching the show, are they coming up to you with stories or questions?
Ezra Sosa: I have two very big supporters of mine, Viv and AJ, shout out to them, they’re the best. AJ has shared that my openness about my identity and coming out helped them feel supported in their own journey. Just getting to meet people like that, you just don’t really know the lives and the impact that you have until those moments do happen.
The sad truth to being this representation is that my DMs are always flooded with people who are in the closet. And when I’m on tour, I’ll be in a city and I’ll get numerous DMs of closeted kids who are just in the audience because they just want to be able to see someone out and proud living their dreams on stage. I think it’s more of a reason for me just to keep pushing and keep shining for those individuals who didn’t have the support system I have, who didn’t have the platform I have, and I recognize how lucky it is to be in this position, but I think it’s just more of a reason just to push representation even more.
So.Gay: Now, you are obviously very engaged with your fans on social media, to a point that I think once you even agreed to go out with one of them …
Ezra Sosa: Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Because I was on tour and I was in Utah for like a day. So it didn’t really align, but I made sure to give him tickets to the show. He was in a meet and greet. He was super nice, super sweet and adorable. I’m really glad I was able to meet them and have a little laugh at that whole TikTok moment.
So.Gay: Outside of the DMs you just mentioned, are there also spicier ones you’re getting from time to time now?
Ezra Sosa: I mean, as you can imagine … I get both genders, okay?
So.Gay: I believe it.
Ezra Sosa: Last year, I did a performance like a chacha performance. I don’t know why it struck a chord with the girlies. I made a joke about it online, but I think it’s so funny how, at the time, it was really hard for me to date because I was in the season and whatever, but my DMs were never more flooded with the wrong gender that I was attracted to. And then that post was basically a bat signal for all the gays to be in my DMs, so now it’s just a whole love fest in there. I accept it all, and I appreciate it all.
This season, too, I’ve been making an effort to feel more normal throughout the season by going on dates with different guys throughout the season. And I was in New York, I went on a date in New York, I might go on another date this week. I’m 25, at the end of the day, and I just really want to be able to have those moments that make me feel normal, especially during the season. Being a professional on Dancing with the Stars in this era of Dancing with the Stars does not feel normal, whatsoever. So I’m really grateful that I have those moments to kind of ground myself and make me feel a little bit more like a human being.
So.Gay: And you’re so busy, too, I imagine it can be tough.
Ezra Sosa: I mean, yeah. Like I’m about to run to rehearsal. It’s hard, but I think it’s really important for me just to have those moments and to really get to meet guys and see what I’m into and be interested in because when I’m not doing the show, I’m on tour. And then when I’m not on tour, I have like, what, two months of free time to spend time with my family because I don’t even get time to see my family anymore.
But yeah, I’m trying to find those pockets of moments where I can just be a little more human, go out on those dates, get to meet those guys and I love getting to do it.
So.Gay: I’m happy to hear that for you! While the show has had two women dance together twice, and Shangela performed with Gleb Savchenko in drag, it still hasn’t done a pair of male-presenting dancers yet. Why do you think it hasn’t happened … and have you let it known to the powers that be that you’re down?
Ezra Sosa: I mean, I am 100%. I’m so down for that. That’s actually been my biggest dream, just being a professional on the show. But I put my trust and my faith in our casting director, Deena Katz. I don’t know exactly why it hasn’t happened yet, but I definitely feel, if I know her, she’s waiting for the right person and the right pairing. We just want to make sure that whatever happens and whoever it is, the same-sex pairing, it’s special and it’s magical and I think they’ve been holding up on it for the right person, and the right time, and the right moment.
But I will say, I feel like with Heated Rivalry, queer media this last year was just so important in the zeitgeist. I was kind of thinking it would happen this year. So we’ll see if next year is the year. But regardless, when it does happen, you know it’s going to be very special. And, I do feel like it will happen at some point, with me or without me. But regardless, I’ll be supporting it no matter what.
So.Gay: How strong do the bonds stay with your partners after a season is wrapped? I know Jordan came and visited you and Julia in the studio this season. Are you able to keep in touch with everyone?
Ezra Sosa: Even with Anna Delvey, my first partner, we’re able to have some kind of relationship after the season. That was a gag of it all and I really appreciated the relationship I had with Anna, as much as with Jordan and with Julia. You’re very much in a marriage. I think it was Jessica Vosk who said I’m Julia’s gay husband. That’s exactly how it feels being paired with me on the show. And it was the same with Jordan. Jordan was I would laugh all the time. Like, ‘If I was straight, we’d probably go for each other.’ There were those weird moments that we would have.
I’m living my biggest moments with these people on this show that I’ve always dreamed of. So, as you can imagine, those bonds are inseparable. Jordan does come in clutch, because she is a beast of a person. And even when I’m down for the count, I’ll text her, she’ll give me a little pep talk, she knows exactly what to say. And I definitely feel like even with Julia after the season, I’m gonna have such a strong bond with her. She’ll definitely be one of my bridesmaids, for sure. My bridesmaid lineup will be Anna Delvey, Jordan Chiles and Julia Stiles.
So.Gay: That’s a lineup! Outside of the ballroom, what other ambitions do you have? You are getting such this huge platform, and you’ve been able to build another huge following of your own on social media. What’s the 5, 10-year plan from here?
Ezra Sosa: What is very interesting about my career, and I’m very fortunate, was that I was able to achieve my biggest dream at such a young age. And I always say a good dream is one that grows. And so being on Dancing with the Stars, it has presented opportunities to me that I never really thought I had the space to be in. That’s just been a fun thing to think about outside the show, who is Ezra outside of Dancing with the Stars? Like, what does that look like? I can definitely see myself like on Broadway or in a TV series if the script is right.
But I also feel like outside of Dancing with the Stars, I have built an audience on TikTok.
And people recognize me from Dancing with the Stars, but a lot of the time they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re on TikTok, I love you on TikTok,’ and people have fallen in love with me as a personality. So I could see myself hosting or being a reality TV girlie. Whatever the options that come my way, I’m always open to them, and I’m always down to try. Of course I’ve dreamed of things outside of Dancing with the Stars. I hope that those are able to come true as well.
So.Gay: Lastly, I know you have Dedication Night and Horror Movie Night coming up later this month. Just what are you able to tease there? I’m a big horror fan myself and love Julia in Orphan: First Kill.
Ezra Sosa: The true magic of Julia is the nostalgia that comes behind the films that she’s been a part of. Especially this next week, the one word is nostalgia. I just wanna make sure that this performance is gonna bring back such a special time of her life, as well as many people who’ve grown up watching her as well.
But for Horror Movie Night, I don’t think you guys are ready for that one as well. Because not only is she in the movie that you mentioned, she’s also a part of so many other horror movies that I could like literally talk about. So that’s also going to be fun for her to play a character that she’s already played before. So I’m very much looking forward to our movie night.
So.Gay: Awesome. Well, I can’t wait to see it. I can’t wait to see the rest of your journey this season. You two have done great so far.
Ezra Sosa: Keeping the millennials fed!
Shoot Credits:
Founder and CEO: Alex Hughes @alexalexhughes
Brand Manager: Ethan Dancyger @ethandancyger
Photographer: Zachary Olewnicki @zacharyolewnickii
Stylist: Felipe Xavier Díaz @felipitoxo
MUA: Kevin Santiago Aguirre Quiroz @kk.aguirre
Movement Direction: Sophie Olszak @sopholsz
Set Design: Vin Laferrera @vinlaferrera
Dancers: Julian Donahue @juliandonahue , JP Qualters @JPQ22 , Matt Liotine @mattliotine , Shawn Michael Lesniak @shawn_lesniak
Photography Assistance: Brett Wargo @brettwargo and Jacqueline Olewnicki @jolewnicki
