Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' Reece Weaver & More Who Took Broadway
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' Reece Weaver & More Who Took Broadway
Sarah Grossbart Sun, August 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM UTC
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Originally appeared on E! Online
Who knows better than a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader how to give 'em the old razzle dazzle?
So, one could argue that America's Sweethearts standout Reece Weaver had her newly announced Broadway role coming. Some seven weeks after the 24-year-old told E! News that taking to the stage has "always been my dream," the dancer revealed she'll begun her six-week run as Chicago's Roxie Hart Sept. 7.
"I went to a performing arts middle school and high school, so I was the bun head," the Florida native explained to E! in June. "I was being classically trained in all sorts of genres, all styles, and just fell in love with wanting to perform on a stage."
And while she would have been thrilled to "just be a tree in the background," she was admittedly keen to rouge her knees and roll her stockings down.
"I feel like Chicago would be one, because of the Fosse style," she explained of her dream shows, noting that Roxie would be "a very different personality that I would have to portray, which would be a fun challenge, but I think I'm always up for it."
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Now the name on everyone's lips is gonna be Reece.
But she's certainly not the first reality star to give 'em a show that's so splendiferous, with Ariana Madix, Pamela Anderson, Whitney Leavitt and Kandi Burruss all previously slipping into Roxie's fishnets.
Chicago has certainly been a whoopee spot for stars looking to paint the town. But it's not the only theater where the gin is cold, but the piano's hot.
Multiple Oscar winners (hi, Robert Downey Jr.), a pop star and a TikTok sensation have all taken curtain calls in New York City. Daniel Radcliffe, Nicole Scherzinger and Neil Patrick Harris even collected Tonys for their runs on the Great White Way.
Keep reading to see which celebrities attempted the eight-show-a-week feat and all that jazz.
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr.said goodbye to Marvel and hello to Broadway, making his debut with a nearly three-month 2024 stintinAyad Akhtar'sMcNeal. The play follows Jacob McNeal, a writer who learns he is dying and is presented with a Nobel Prize on the same day, as he decides to use AI to help him write his next great novel despite his staunch opposition to the tool.As for why theIron-Manstar decided to hit the stage in theBartlett Sher-directed production?"New play, timely subject matter, great integers, great humans involved, Bart, the cast," he toldVoguein October 2024. "Ayad always puts conflicting ideas within a single thought line. He counteracts and degrades everything he just said with the new statement."Before his debut, Robert asked fellow Marvel alumBradley Cooper—who was nominated for a Tony Award forhis 2015 run inThe Elephant Man—for advice."He said, 'Dude, just remember, you're going to feel your feet in your shoes. You're going to walk out onto that stage and the audience is going to be like a pillow,'"Robertrecalled toThe Independentat the time. "I was, like, well, that's pretty positive. So I'm going to take the Bradley Cooper approach and let it be a beautiful thing."Whitney Leavitt
Whitney Leavittcha-cha'd out of theDancing With the Starsballroom after herNovember 2025elimination andstraightonto the Broadway stage for a limited run ofChicago. ThoughThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wivesstar wasonlyexpected to bring the ol' razzle dazzle as Roxie HartuntilMarch 2026, herinitialsix-week run was extended into April due to high demand.Whitney may be known for her vivacious personality on the Hulu reality showshe appears in withTaylor Frankie Paul,Mayci Neeleyand other MomTok influencers,butthe onetime competitive dancer, who studied dance at Utah's Brigham Young University,always had dreams of being onstage."The performance bug has always been a part of me," she toldPlaybillin March 2026, adding that when she was younger, she would "create these dances, or put on these music videos for [my] family … and get the cousins together to create something to show all the adults."And yet she still had nerves about taking her dance skills from TikTok to the Great White Way."I'm feeling everything," shereflectedin a February 2026 Instagram video. "I've never sung solo to a live audience like this before, so that's definitely what gives me the most anxiety. I've prepared so much for this moment that I just hope that when I go on tomorrow, everything just feels second nature. I just want to trust myself."Pamela Anderson
Pamela Andersonproved that she was ready for Broadway and all that jazz when shetook her turn asChicago'sRoxie Hart—a story she deeply relatedto—for a two-month run that wrapped inJune 2022."I've had a wild life to draw from, many ups and downs," shetold E! News that April. "I never knew what I was rehearsing for, but looking back, I see that I was preparing to do something more than even I could imagine.""There is a vulnerability and strength in Roxie—I relate to that," she concluded. "Overcoming hard times with humor and grace, quick on her feet, being misunderstood by the press—and eventually turning even the most upside-down things into something good with heart."While theBaywatchalum's heart was definitely in it, she knew there would be a lot of work before she could slipintoRoxie's iconic fringe dress."I have never worked this hard," she admitted. "It suits me. I love the challenge—long rehearsals. I love to go home tired and feel a sense of accomplishment. I am soaking it all up like a sponge. I have always imagined myself as a dancer or singer (in my head), but I never thought it would be a reality."And the formerPlayboymodel admitted she was surprised to be cast in the role."It's crazy and they are crazy for having me," she admitted, "but I am so grateful. It's a leap of faith. Singing is courage, but it is also technical—a muscle—and I'm learning so much. I'm getting stronger every day."Tom Felton
Tom Feltonbrought magic to the stagefor a 19-week run ofHarry Potter andThe Cursed Childthat saw him reprisehis role as a now-adult version of Draco Malfoy.Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, the play follows the unexpected friendship between Draco's son Scorpius Malfoy and Harry and Ginny's son Albus Severus Potter, bothsorted into Slytherin House."It's very much a pinch-me situation," Tom said onTodayin June 2025, five months ahead of his debut. "I keep thinking I'm dreaming. I let go of that character 16 years ago, and now I get to step back into his shoes, as a father this time, in a new story."Though he hadeightHarry Potterfilms under his beltas the famously antagonistic character, the actornoted it wasn't exactly accio performance onstage."The play is such an independent story from the Potter films that I grew up with," he explained. "Now we're no longer children. We actually are the parents. So as much as it is reprising an old role for me, it's very much treading into new, unfamiliar territory."Charli D'Amelio
After making a name for herself on TikTok,Charli D'Ameliotook a spin through theDancing With the Starsballroom in 2022beforebringing those skills to Broadway with her October 2024debut in& Juliet.While the influencer was supposed to end her runas Charmianin January 2025, it was extended twice."I'm beyond excited to join the Broadway community—it's a dream I've had since I was a little girl," she said in a September 2024 statementahead of her nearly yearlong run. "To be able to make my Broadway debut—especially in the cast of& Juliet, is truly a dream come true, and I can't wait to share this experience with everyone."While it was her first time on a Broadway stage, starring in the dance-heavy role as one of William Shakespeare's Company of Players, it felt natural given her extensive experience."Dance was always very special to me," she toldABC7that November. "I used dance as a way to communicate in a way I can't always do with my words."Though, it was still hard to grapple with such a prestigious honor."I spent so much of my time growing up, never thinking that I would get to be in a room like this, and always doubting myself," Charli—who also won her season ofDWTS—said. "I'm just so thankful for everyone that helped get me here, and for my mom. She was driving me to dance classes. She was driving me to dance competitions. Just kept reminding me that I could get somewhere with dance even when I doubted myself."Ariana Madix
Like Whitney and Pamela,Ariana Madixwas readyto raise a glass to Roxie HartinChicago.And the Vanderpump Rules star had it coming after surviving Scandoval—recruited to take the stage just nine months after herexplosive breakup with former costarTom Sandoval.Understandably, she described that chapter in her lifeto E! News as "the rollercoaster."Ariana—who starred in the musical from January to April 2024 before returning for a second stint from August to September 2024—added, "There's no way to even succinctly put all of that together."But forthe reality star, the opportunity gave her a chance to turn her tragedy into a roaring success."If you think about the emotional Olympics, she's gold in everything," she addedof Roxie,"because she'll butter you up, but the second that you might not be giving her what she needs, she's coming for you."Julianne Hough
WhileJulianne Houghalways saw herself on Broadway, she was waiting for the rightcurtain call. So, when she readPOTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, she knew the time was right.AlongsideRachel Dratch,Vanessa Williams,Julie White,Lilli Cooper, andLea DeLaria, theDancing With the Starsco-host starred as Dusty, a member of the U.S. president's PR team, from April to August 2022. With thefictionalpolitician embroiled in controversy, the seven womenare charged with keepinghim out of trouble."There's been conversations about coming to Broadway, but I didn't just want to do this as a bucket list item and check it off my list," shetold E! News in May 2022. "I really wanted to do it in a way that was immersing myself in the community, learning and being part of versus just popping in and popping out."Nicole Scherzinger
WhenNicole Scherzingergrew up, she wanted to be famous, she wanted to be a star. And while she certainly saw the world, drove nice cars and had groupies as the lead singer ofThe Pussycat Dolls, her dream really came true when she starred as Norma Desmond inSunset Boulevardfrom October 2024 until July 2025."I always felt like I wasn't living in my full potential, my full purpose, and I was never happy with myself, never satisfied," Nicole—who won Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical at the 2025 Tony Awards—told E! News that June. "It's because I knew I had so much more to give, and this role in this opportunity allowed me to give all of me, and it's changed my life, and I'm so grateful for it."
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
