Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa have made their Dancing With the Stars partnership permanent — with matching tattoos. The eliminated pair got inked together after their emotional exit from the competition, following through on a plan they had discussed earlier in the season.
Sosa, 25, shared a photograph via Instagram Stories on 3 November showing Stiles getting tattooed by artist Christian Delacruz, days after the pair were sent home on Disney Night. The tattoos are a lasting souvenir of a partnership that grew steadily across eight weeks, from a shaky start to a run that ended with some of the season’s most emotional dances.
A partnership that kept improving
Stiles and Sosa opened with 18 out of 30 judges’ points for their quickstep routine and eventually worked up to 33 out of 40 for their jazz number on Disney Night. Their highest individual score was 36 out of 40, and they hit a setback on Horror Movie Night, scoring only 26 out of 40 for their Argentine tango, before bouncing back with 33 out of 40 for their paso doble on Disney Night.
It was not enough. The couple were eliminated eight weeks into the competition, despite the judges’ praise and a fanbase that had grown attached to their partnership. Stiles, who pushed through a rib injury to keep competing, had become one of the season’s most sympathetic figures, and her exit was described as a shock by many viewers.
What the tattoos mean
Matching tattoos between a celebrity and their professional partner are a DWTS tradition of sorts, a way of marking a bond forged in months of rehearsals and live television. For Stiles and Sosa, the ink is also a reminder of how far they came: from 18 points to 36, from strangers to friends, from the first week to the final eight.
The show moves on without them. Grammy Night airs on Tuesday, 10 November, with seven couples left and the finale scheduled for 24 November. But for Stiles and Sosa, the season is already over — and, thanks to the tattoos, it will stay with them a little longer than most.
Related: Dancing With the Stars Grammy Night · Val Chmerkovskiy and Carrie Ann Inaba Make Amends
Sources: Reality TV World (9 Nov 2026); Memorable TV (10 Nov 2026).
