Hilaria Baldwin’s journey on Dancing With the Stars came to a close on Wednesday night — but she exited in style, seizing the microphone after elimination to express heartfelt gratitude.

The 41-year-old former yoga instructor, partnered with professional dancer Gleb Savchenko, described the experience as “incredible.” She turned to the live audience and castmates:

“I am so grateful to all of you, I’m so grateful to my children and my family … I’m cheering on everybody in the cast. This has been an amazing time.”
(People, Dancing with the Stars Full Recap) People.com

Meanwhile, Savchenko did not hold back: he lauded Baldwin as a “superhero and an incredible mom,” and told her, “I’m so proud of you.” People.com+2E! Online+2

A Bittersweet Exit

In her post-show interview, Baldwin admitted her heart was “a little broken,” revealing that her sadness came less from elimination than from missing the show’s joy. She told Good Morning America how meaningful the journey had been. pagesix.com+2People.com+2

Their routine on “Disney Night” was a quickstep set to Star Wars’ “Cantina Band.” The judges offered mixed but generally favorable remarks: Bruno Tonioli remarked, “I was looking for something wrong; I didn’t see it.” Carrie Ann Inaba called it “beautiful” and “a contender,” while Derek Hough praised Baldwin’s talent but noted he would have liked more emphasis on classic quickstep steps. People.com+2EW.com+2

Even with some criticisms, the pair still earned one of the higher scores that evening: 23 out of 30. Eliminations on DWTS hinge on a blend of judges’ scores and viewer votes, and in the end, the votes weren’t enough to keep Baldwin in. New York Post+3People.com+3pagesix.com+3

The Reaction and the Backstory

Fans quickly expressed their disappointment online. One Instagram commenter noted, “She danced extremely well. She shouldn’t have left … this show is partly dancing and partly popularity.” Another called her exit gracious, saying she gave one of the most “beautiful kind” exit speeches ever on DWTS. New York Post+2pagesix.com+2

Baldwin’s exit was further covered by People, which shared how she choked up reflecting on her children’s support. She recalled telling her daughter, “What happens if I get voted off right away?” — and her daughter replied, “Mommy, at least you tried.” That message clearly resonated with Baldwin in her emotional farewell. E! Online+1

This season of DWTS has enjoyed strong engagement. According to Entertainment Weekly, the show saw a surge in votes, and Baldwin’s elimination was one of the more contentious ones—with the judges themselves getting into a back-and-forth debate about the routine. EW.com+1

Addressing Criticism & Clarifying Her Place

Ahead of the elimination, Baldwin had already spoken publicly about rumors and misconceptions. On the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast, she firmly denied being a “nepo wife” — that is, a celebrity cast solely through nepotism via her marriage to Alec Baldwin. She insisted she was chosen on merit:

“I’m a hard worker. I want to earn things on my own merit. If he ever made a call that would make things easier on me, I would feel like I didn’t deserve it.”
(People, Fox News, etc.) New York Post+3People.com+3Fox News+3

She also told Page Six that she didn’t campaign for her spot on the show: producers reached out; she made a spur-of-the-moment decision, even relocating her family to make it work. New York Post+2Fox News+2

Earlier in the season, Baldwin’s husband Alec even made a surprise appearance during rehearsals, playfully interrupting to ask, “May I cut in?” His presence added to the emotional undercurrent of her run. EW.com+1

A Full Circle for Dance & Redemption

Baldwin’s DWTS arc carried layers of personal meaning. Years ago, she had suffered a hip injury that forced her to step back from dance. Returning to the ballroom represented not just a competition, but a reclaiming of a lost chapter. Vulture reported that when cast, she addressed her previous dance past and that injury, emphasizing that dance had been a central part of her life before medical setbacks. Vulture

That context added emotional weight to her performances and to her post-elimination reflections. Although she leaves the show earlier than she (and many fans) might have hoped, the journey itself seems to have been deeply fulfilling.

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