Zac Efron finally stepped into the Dancing With the Stars ballroom — and fans could hardly contain their excitement.
The 38-year-old High School Musical alum appeared in the audience during Tuesday night’s semifinals to cheer on his younger brother, Dylan Efron, who is competing in Season 34 with pro partner Daniella Karagach. Sitting front and center, Zac held the pair’s 5-year-old sister Olivia on his lap as they watched the live competition together.
Olivia looked adorable in a pink puff-sleeved dress, while Zac kept things low-key in a dark button-down layered over a white T-shirt.
Dylan, 33, is now in his tenth week of the competition, leaving many viewers confused about why the Iron Claw star took so long to show up — especially after Prince William managed to make a surprise appearance earlier in the season. Fans had been jokingly “bullying” Zac on social media for weeks, urging him to show up and support his brother.
But Dylan wasn’t bothered by the delay.
“Hey, he’s doing his thing,” he told Extra in October, adding that Zac has been “supporting me every day.”
Fans expected Zac to appear earlier, especially during Dedication Night, when Olivia helped open Dylan’s emotional performance of “Rewrite the Stars” — the hit from Zac’s film The Greatest Showman. In a pre-taped segment, Dylan dedicated the dance to Olivia with a heartfelt nod to Zac.
“Zac’s always taken care of me,” he said, tearing up. “He did things that were so selfless. I want to be that for Olivia. I want to be the best role model I can.”
When Zac finally showed up, viewers erupted online.
“THE WAY MY HEART SKYROCKETED WHEN ZAC EFRON CAME ONTO THE SCREEN,” one fan wrote on X.
Another joked, “I’m cracking up — y’all bullied Zac Efron into the ballroom.”
A third added, “I screamed when Zac popped up on my screen. Seeing him with Olivia made me shed a tear.”
Fans also celebrated a mini-reunion when a circulating photo showed Zac posing with co-host Julianne Hough, referencing their 2016 comedy Dirty Grandpa:
“Zac Efron and Julianne Hough in the same room — DIRTY GRANDPA REUNION.”
Zac and Dylan — whose parents Starla Baskett and David Efron divorced in 2016 — are big brothers to Olivia and 4-year-old Henry, whom their father welcomed with his second wife.
ALSO READ: Beyoncé Fan Sydney Hardeman, Viral Coachella Reaction Star, Dies at 25
