NEWSAwkward! Robin Wright Hilariously Tells Derek Hough She Was Convinced He Was Married to Sister Julianne After Seeing Them Dance
The 'Dancing with the Stars' alum admitted that it's a common misconception that they're a couple.
Jan. 12 2026, Published 2:25 p.m. ET
Robin Wright admitted she initially thought Derek and sister Julianne Hough were a couple.
Noticing Derek, 40, working the red carpet for Extra at the 2026 Golden Globes on Sunday, January 11, the House of Cards actress, 59, went up to him and said, "Wait, you're the brother of Julianne. I love her!"
"Can I tell you something?" Robin then asked. "When I first saw her dance, I was like, 'They're married.'"
Robin Wright Gushes Over the Professional Dancer Siblings
Derek and Julianne Hough are professional dancers known for performing together.
Laughing, the Dancing With the Stars alum replied, "Oh, yeah! Yeah, I've got that sometimes."
"No, they're brother and sister," Robin said, recalling the moment she realized they were actually siblings.
"You guys are amazing together," she added. "I follow you guys on Instagram and watch you guys move," referring to the duo's dancing videos.
Robin Wright initially thought Derek and Julianne Hough were married.
Julianne Hough said she and her brother were mistaken for a couple at the start of their careers.
During a September 2025 appearance on the "Chicks in the Office" podcast, Julianne, 37, shared that fans mistakenly believed she and her brother were romantically linked when they were performing a sultry rumba on tour before joining Dancing With the Stars.
"That is the dance of love, right? That my brother and I had to dance together," she spilled. "And our names in the program were Derek and Julianne Hough. So everybody thought we were married."
"When people found out we were brother and sister, I remember, specifically, there was one venue [on the tour] where we were dancing, and we just heard [from the audience], 'That's just wrong!'" she continued. "So that was our first foray."
The Footloose star added that "to this day," the choreographer still apologizes for making them "dance the rumba."
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Are Derek and Julianne Hough Close?
The siblings have a close bond.
Julianne and Derek have often spoken about their tight bond. In one 2024 interview, Derek shared that he was there for his sister when her beloved dogs unexpectedly died in 2019.
"I think just like in any family situation, you rally, you know? You always come together," he told an outlet at time. "So when that happened, we all rallied behind her, and we [were] there for her."
"Families are always the ones that are there for you in difficult times, you know? And I think it's in those moments you realize how wonderful family is," he added.
Derek and Julianne Hough Have 3 Other Siblings
Derek and Julianne Hough are the youngest of five.
The professional dancers also have three older sisters: Sharee, 48, Marabeth, 44 and Katherine, 43.
All five siblings, who were raised Mormon, were professionally trained as dancers, actors and musicians.
Julianne previously shared on the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast in September 2025 how the fivesome were in a band when they were younger, but the older sisters ended the musical group to pursue "different paths."
