Why Allison Holker Used to ‘Cry’ After Live ‘SYTYCD’ Tour Shows

Allison Holker has come a long way in her professional career, especially when it comes to being comfortable in front of a camera.

“If I had to give a presentation or a class report in front of everyone, I would skip those days of school,” Holker, 37, recalled on the Sunday, June 22, episode of her and daughter Weslie’s “Between Us” podcast. “I got forced into [speaking up]. I did So You Think You Can Dance, and I was on TV. That was still, kind of, a situation where there were just cameras in front of us.”

She added, “It didn’t feel like too much talking, but it would make me really, really nervous, and then I got forced to do a live tour. We were the hosts of the tour, so I was performing [and] dancing in front of 10,000 people, but we also had to host the event. I would cry after the show.”

According to Holker, she would burst into tears in front of a set producer. (Holker appeared on season 2 of Fox’s dance competition in 2006, later returning as a respective All-Star mentor and judge several years later.)

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“[I would say,] ‘Oh, my gosh. I don’t know how to do this. I’m scared to hold the mic,’” the TV host recalled on Sunday’s episode. “I’d literally be shaking backstage, but I just got forced to do it over and over again. It’s, like, a forced skill set. Then, as I got more comfortable with it, I started to learn it and learn that I actually enjoy talking with people.”

She continued, “[I liked it better] when I made it more about growing, learning and connecting with the people in front of me instead of just, like, ‘I have to speak in front of everyone.’ It changed everything. But, now I’ve learned that having more skills in different avenues really helps with your future because you can use all of it in any industry.”

Since her SYTYCD tenure, Holker has gone on to become a professional dancer on Dancing With the Stars, hosted several reality TV programs on HGTV and Freeform before pursuing an influencer career.

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“It just started this way of looking, like, ‘Wait, if we’re going to do [social media] for fun, let’s make a business out of it.’ Now, we sort of transitioned to where we get brand deals. I never intended on that happening,” Holker previously said on a May episode of her podcast. “I feel like for dancers specifically, but also all content creators or influencers, we all started being seen and brands were like, ‘We want in on it.’”

She continued at the time, “It changed everything. For me, I would say that it became the majority of where I make my money and my growth with my family, which I’m so grateful for. I get to do what I love and get so many eyes, and then team up with brands that I love. I never really understood that’s where I was going to fall into, and I’ve been so fortunate and lucky to have that happen.”

Holker is a mother of three. She shares daughter Weslie, 17, with a past partner, and younger kids Maddox, 9, and Zaia, 5, with late husband Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who died in 2022.