'Chicago''s Whitney Leavitt isn't afraid to be ambitious

Furthering her rapid rise to fame on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and Dancing With the Stars, the much-talked-about performer makes her Broadway debut in February.

Summary

• Whitney Leavitt discusses making her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago
• Leavitt is best known for her appearances on the reality shows The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and Dancing With the Stars
• Leavitt first sparked Broadway buzz when she performed Chicago- and Hamilton-themed routines on DWTS
• She performs in Chicago from February 2 to March 15

The name on everybody's lips isn't gonna be Whitney Leavitt — it already is. She's had people talking since 2024 on the reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, now in its third season on Hulu, and then on season 34 of Dancing With the Stars this past fall with pro dancer (and Broadway vet) Mark Ballas. A couple theatre-themed routines — to Hamilton's "The Room Where It Happens" and Chicago's "Cell Block Tango" — instantly sparked online rumors that NYC was next in Leavitt's sights. The Chicago team heard the call, and two weeks after her elimination, news hit the headlines of Leavitt's Broadway debut as Roxie Hart from February 2 to March 15.

Not all the buzz around her express track to fame has been positive. Leavitt, who first gained attention as part of the scandal-rocked social media community "MomTok" alongside her future Secret Lives co-stars, is widely known as that show's "villain." Perhaps inadvertently, she ended up assuming the same persona on DWTS. Her years of dance training — first throughout her Utah childhood and later at the state's Brigham Young University, where she earned a fine arts degree — made her a judges' darling but a viewers' punching bag, leading to her elimination in the semifinals.

Leavitt draws on parts of that experience as Roxie, who leverages a murder charge to advance her own quest for vaudeville stardom. The actress is no criminal, of course, but both she and Roxie have stood trial in the court of public opinion, an arena as formidable in the 2020s as in the 1920s. But where Roxie aims to win it outright to get acquitted, Leavitt is not letting her critics deter her from chasing her ambitions. After Chicago, she'll be making her film debut as the executive producer and star of a holiday rom-com titled All For Love.

"[Roxie has] a very unorthodox way of going about what she wants in life that I don't agree with, but she knows what she wants," Leavitt said. "I can relate with her on that." She shared more with New York Theatre Guide about Chicago, her early career dreams, and the projects she sees herself going after next.

Get Chicago tickets now.

How exactly did you go from doing the Chicago routine on Dancing With the Stars to getting a call from the actual show?

It was after we performed [on] Disney Week [to] Hamilton. [DWTS judge] Derek [Hough] made a comment like, "Get these two on Broadway!"

After, Mark and I were having conversation about it. He was like, "Would you ever want to do that?" I was like, "Well, if I ever was to play a role, I'd love to play Roxie." Then that same day, my agent was like, "So random, but Chicago wants you to audition for Roxie if you're interested." And I was like, "Hell yes!"

During that time, I was sending in vocals and monologues and dancing [...] virtually. But it wasn't until after I got eliminated that I flew out to New York, had my in-person audition, and then literally the next day, found out I got the role.

What resonates with you about Roxie?

Roxie knows what she wants. She [has] a very unorthodox way of going about what she wants in life that I don't agree with, but she knows what she wants, and I can relate with her on that.

She doesn't have shame about saying, "I've always wanted my name in the papers, and I just want to be a big fat star, and I want to perform. Before, it was all of these nos, but now I have this opportunity. I'm going to go after it."

How did DWTS — or even your other TV work — prepare you for this experience? Were there any Broadway-specific challenges you didn't expect?

I mean, singing and dancing alone is very exhausting and a lot to think of. There's specifically one song that I have found the most challenging because she dances so much; it is "Me and My Baby." I've just been growing the stamina for that, trying to figure that out.

But I've always enjoyed performing. It's always been a part of me, so I'm just excited to get on that stage. I was just trailing Kate [Baldwin, the current Roxie] last night, and the whole time, just watching her backstage, I was like, "Oh my god." She's incredible.

You’ve weathered online criticism on Secret Lives and DWTS, but how has the reception been to your Broadway debut?

[Like] the biggest hug. Even being here in New York City, I've just felt so welcome, so loved, and I have so much respect for this world and this community. They work so, so hard, and I can feel that, and it makes me want to work even harder.

Growing up in Utah, how did your interest in Broadway come about?

Even though [I trained in] dance, I was still involved in theatre and acting classes. In dance, there can be an element of acting depending on what you're doing, or what song you're performing to, or what story you're trying to tell. I've always enjoyed that through dance, but then now singing with it too — I've just always enjoyed watching it, so now I get to be a part of it.

Back when you were studying dance, what did you envision your career to be?

You know what? I thought I was going to be a Rockette. I really did. Or I even thought of a sports team, like a Knicks dancer or a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.

What does a typical day in your life look like right now?

The day starts early with my three kiddos at home. Typically I start my day at the gym, and then I go to rehearsal. Rehearsals typically last about four to five hours, and then usually at the end of the day I probably have other stuff with social media or brand deals, or other things like this [interview] that I'll usually set time aside for, and then spend the evening with the family and then do it all over again.

Your husband, Conner, wore themed outfits every week you were on DWTS. Will we see him in the Broadway audience in Chicago digs?

Yes. I'm trying to convince him to bleach his hair. [...] I think of Roxie in the movie, and I'm like, "You need to be blond."

Between Secret Lives, DWTS, and your other projects, what do you think you're most famous for right now?

Gosh, I don't know, because I almost feel like Secret Lives and Dancing with the Stars is kind of a combo. A lot of people, if they watched me on Dancing with the Stars, then they were familiarized by Secret Lives, or vice versa.

Usually, when I see people, they typically have been saying Dancing with the Stars. But maybe that's because it's more recent.

What do you want to be most famous for?

God, I just love performing. I love the entertainment industry. I love acting. I really want to dive more into the film industry. I just did that movie, and I want to do more of them.

Mark's a Broadway veteran. If you were to star in a show with him, what would it be?

Honestly, Chicago. Should he be a Billy? Maybe he should audition for that role. I think he'd be a great Billy. Let's put it out in the universe.

Are you seeing any shows in the city before your Chicago run starts?

I'm seeing The Outsiders this weekend, and I feel like I'm going to really enjoy it because there's a lot of dancing in that, at least from what people have told me.

I'm seeing Masquerade tonight, which I'm really excited for. I want to see Maybe Happy Ending. I want to see Moulin Rouge! again while I'm here.

I've only seen The Book of Mormon in London. [Now] it's right across the street from me. I have to see it, hello!

Nice pun on The Book of Mormon's opening number.

Oh my god, yeah, it is. That was not planned, by the way.

Get Chicago tickets now.

This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

Photo credit: Whitney Leavitt. (Photo courtesy of production)