In
dancesport, Johnson is a five-time
U.S. National Latin Champion, U.S. National Youth 10 Dance Champion, as well as a three-time National Contemporary Winner. She represented the United States at the
World Latin Dance Champions in 2012.
So You Think You Can Dance Johnson auditioned for
SYTYCD in
Memphis, Tennessee, and was named a contestant for
season 10. She was paired with contemporary contestant Tucker Knox and was eliminated on August 20, 2013, in the quarter-finals. During
So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation, Johnson served as ballroom dancer Jake Monreal's all-star mentor. They were eliminated on August 1, 2016, in week 3. Johnson then mentored Latin ballroom contestant Chris "Kiki" Nyemchek for
season 14.
Dancing with the Stars Johnson was a
troupe member on
Dancing with the Stars from
season 18 to
season 22. She became a professional dancer on
season 23 and was partnered with actor
Jake T. Austin. They were the first couple eliminated on September 20, 2016, finishing in 13th place. Johnson danced with racing driver
James Hinchcliffe on Halloween Night and Showstoppers Night after his partner,
Sharna Burgess, sustained a knee injury. Johnson was also the couple's trio partner during the semi-finals. After taking
season 24 off, Johnson returned in
season 25 as a troupe member. She was promoted to pro for a second time on the
Athletes season and was paired with Olympic figure skater
Adam Rippon. They won the competition on May 21, 2018, marking Johnson's first Mirrorball Trophy. She is one of the only pros to win in her second season, and the fourth pro to win after being eliminated first in her previous season. For
season 27, Johnson was paired with television personality
Joe Amabile. Despite continually receiving low scores and criticism from the judges, the pair was consistently saved by the viewers' votes. They ultimately reached the semifinals and were eliminated alongside
Fuller House actor
Juan Pablo Di Pace and
Cheryl Burke on November 12, 2018, finishing in sixth place. For
season 28, Johnson was partnered with
Queer Eye star
Karamo Brown. They were eliminated during the seventh week of competition on October 28, 2019, finishing in eighth place. For
season 29, Johnson was paired with
Catfish host
Nev Schulman. They reached the finale and finished as the runner-ups on November 30, 2020, behind
The Bachelorette star
Kaitlyn Bristowe and
Artem Chigvintsev. For
season 30, Johnson was paired with
YouTube personality
JoJo Siwa, marking the first same-sex couple in the show's history. They also reached the finale and finished as the runner-ups on November 22, 2021, behind
NBA shooting guard
Iman Shumpert and
Daniella Karagach. Johnson returned for
season 32 and was paired with supermodel
Tyson Beckford. They were eliminated during the third week of competition on October 10, 2023, finishing in twelfth place. Johnson and her husband
Valentin Chmerkovskiy earned a nomination for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for composing two
waltz routines during the season. The first was a tribute performance set to "
Moon River" in honor of head judge
Len Goodman, who died five months before the season premiered. The second was set to "
La Vie En Rose", which Chmerkovskiy performed with his partner
Xochitl Gomez during the semifinals. For
season 33, Johnson was partnered with
The Bachelor star
Joey Graziadei. They won the competition on November 26, 2024, marking Johnson's second Mirrorball Trophy and the first in a standard full-length season. For
season 34, Johnson was partnered with singer and actor
Corey Feldman. They were eliminated during the second week of competition on September 23, 2025, in a double elimination alongside
Baron Davis and
Britt Stewart. Both couples finished in fourteenth place; Johnson's lowest placement to date.
Season 23 With celebrity partner
Jake T. Austin Because of an injury to
Sharna Burgess, Johnson returned to the show as the substitute partner for the
IndyCar driver in Weeks 8 and 9, replacing Burgess. The scores listed reflect her weeks as his substitute. With
James Hinchcliffe (Weeks 8 and 9, injury replacement)
Notes Season 26 With celebrity partner
Adam Rippon Notes Season 27 With celebrity partner
Joe Amabile Notes Season 28 With celebrity partner
Karamo Brown Due to passing of
Lindsay Arnold's mother-in-law, Johnson stepped in to dance with former White House Press Secretary
Sean Spicer for weeks 8 and 9.
Notes Season 29 With celebrity partner
Nev Schulman Notes Season 30 With celebrity partner
JoJo Siwa Notes Season 32 With celebrity partner
Tyson Beckford Notes Season 33 With celebrity partner
Joey Graziadei Notes Season 34 With celebrity partner
Corey Feldman Notes ==Personal life==