After Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Reece Weaver Is Dreaming Big

Ever since Reece Weaver landed a spot on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad in America’s Sweethearts Season 1, she’s been a fan favorite. The dancer’s athletic prowess and warm spirit have earned her a legion of support on and off the field. (See her 1.2 million Instagram followers, a staggering count even by DCC’s viral standards.) But by the end of the show’s third season, which dropped June 16 on Netflix, the 24-year-old opts to hang up her uniform and leave the team on a high note — er, kick.

“I’m totally capable of doing another season, but it really was more of a heart decision,” Weaver tells Bustle over Zoom. “I just felt it in my soul that I was called to take a leap of faith.”

Starting with her rookie year, Weaver was incredibly easy to root for. She was at once exceptionally advanced — her audition routine left judges practically speechless — yet endearingly wide-eyed as she danced into adulthood, sharing her 2024 wedding to fellow University of Alabama alum Will Allman in Season 2. (“I always thought when someone’s married they have it all together,” she said on the show. “And I’m thinking... I just got married, and have literally not one thing together.”) She’s been equally candid about her faith and, especially in Season 3, some of the emotional challenges of always being “on” as a cheerleader.

While Weaver spent part of her final season sidelined by an ankle injury, that had nothing to do with her exit. In fact, the Florida native says, it further stoked her passion for performance and teases that if Broadway calls, she’s picking up. “I’m really open to anything,” she says. “As long as I can dance and move and perform, I’m there.”

Weaver is also writing a book, which she can’t share too much about yet, but she describes it as another dream come true. “It was actually on my high school’s ‘what I want to do in the next 10 years’ list that we all did as seniors,” she says. “One of them was to be a DCC, and one was to write a book, which was so random for me. But the fact that that’s coming to fruition is such a blessing, and hopefully, it’ll encourage a lot of women, specifically younger girls.”

A shorter-term goal? Weaver recently moved back to Alabama with her husband, but amid the buzz of her retirement and promoting America’s Sweethearts, they haven’t spent more than three nights there at a time. “We’re excited for that next journey and to be closer to family and friends too,” she says.

Below, Weaver opens up about her exit, reality TV future, and the sweet way she’s spending her first non-DCC summer.

Congratulations on this season and on making these big moves! Is there a moment from your DCC journey — either this season or earlier on — that didn’t make it to the show but that you wish fans got to see?

Will loves to cook. Last training camp, Will was like, “We should invite some of the training camp candidates over, and then I can cook steak and potatoes, or something like that.” It was such a sweet get-together, and it showcased how much we all support each other on this journey. Our spouses are so invested in the next class that comes in, and they want the best for them.

You mentioned partners, and I’ve seen a few people saying “Maybe Reece was swayed to leave the team” or “Will played a role in that decision.” What would you say to critics who think it wasn’t your decision to step away?

Yeah, the narrative that Will swayed me could not be further from the truth. Something that I admire so much about Will is his support. He sacrificed his career and where he was in Alabama to move out here, support my dreams, and be my biggest cheerleader. And he supported me either way — whether it was to do another year, he was all for it, and so excited if that was the case. If I wanted to move on, he was all for it.

We wanted to show what true companionship, marriage, and partnership look like, but I’ve learned anyone can take anything [and] turn it into a negative.

Once you hung up your uniform, what was the first thing that you did that you wouldn’t have been able to do as a returning cheerleader?

I have two. This year, my 4-year-old niece did her first dance recital. If I re-auditioned, I wouldn’t have been able to see her recital. I’m going to get emotional thinking about it, because it’s another generation of your family! To see dance through her little eyes right now is the most special.

And this is a silly one. My birthday is next month, and I’m going to go all-out on my nails. I always am very neutral — Bubble Bath, Funny Bunny, really clean and classic — but I want to go all out for the Fourth of July. If I were doing training camp, I probably wouldn’t.

I saw comments saying “We need a Reece reality show.” Have you pondered returning to TV in some form?

Honestly, I haven’t. We’re in a beautiful home that we absolutely adore, and there could be potential opportunities where there’s gardening, cooking, or something of that nature, where it’s very homelike. Hosting would be fun; judging would be fun. Honestly, I feel like I’m open to anything and just excited to see where this journey takes me.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.