Reece Weaver is leaving the sidelines of AT&T Stadium behind for the bright lights of Broadway. The former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader will make her Broadway debut this fall, joining the long-running musical revival Chicago as its leading lady, Roxie Hart, at New York's Ambassador Theatre.
Weaver's six-week engagement runs from September 7 through October 18, 2026, according to Dallas News, which first reported her casting. The role marks a full-circle moment for Weaver, who says she has always wanted to perform on Broadway and once appeared in a handful of musicals during high school, per the same report.
Weaver's path to the Ambassador Theatre began long before her cheerleading career. She started classical dance training at age 3, went on to attend the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida, and graduated with a degree in dance from the University of Alabama in 2023, according to Us Weekly. That formal technical training sets her apart from some of the reality-TV personalities who have previously stepped into the role.
From NFL Sidelines to a Netflix Sensation
Weaver joined the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders for the 2023 season and left the squad after three years, stepping down ahead of the June 2026 premiere of the third season of the Netflix docuseries America's Sweethearts, Dallas News reports. Sports Illustrated notes that most DCC members typically retire within three to five seasons, making Weaver's timeline fairly typical even as her retirement coincided with a major career pivot.
That docuseries, which chronicles the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and is directed by Emmy winner Greg Whiteley, earned a 2025 Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program and won the 2025 Critics Choice Documentary Award for Best Sports Documentary, according to the show's own production background. The series turned Weaver and her fellow cheerleaders into recognizable faces well beyond football stadiums, and per Us Weekly, her following across Instagram and TikTok has since grown past 1.3 million.
Weaver announced her Broadway role during a CBS Mornings broadcast Tuesday, where she demonstrated signature Bob Fosse dance moves alongside co-host Gayle King, Us Weekly reports. She has said the role of Roxie Hart presents a real challenge for her, according to Dallas News.
Joining a Broadway Institution
Chicago is no stranger to bringing in famous faces to play Roxie Hart. The revival has regularly relied on guest casting by television and media personalities, including Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix in 2024 and Real Housewives star Erika Jayne, who took on the role in both 2020 and 2025, according to Salon's coverage of the trend. Dallas News also notes that Pamela Anderson, Liza Minnelli, and original Broadway Roxie Gwen Verdon have all played the part over the years, while Renée Zellweger earned an Academy Award nomination for portraying the character in the 2002 film adaptation.
The musical itself carries serious weight in Broadway history. Originally created in 1975 and revived in 1996, that revival has won six Tony Awards and is now the second-longest-running show in Broadway history, trailing only The Phantom of the Opera in total performances, per Dallas News. The production has also played in 36 countries worldwide, the outlet reports.
During her run, Weaver will share the stage with Sophie Carmen-Jones as Velma Kelly and former Dancing with the Stars professional Mark Ballas as Billy Flynn, according to the Shubert Organization's casting announcement.
Following a Familiar Path From Cheerleading to the Screen
Weaver isn't the first Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders alum to parlay NFL sideline fame into a broader entertainment career. Sarah Shahi, who cheered for the squad in 1999 and 2000, went on to star in Sex/Life, while Melissa Rycroft, who cheered from 2006 to 2008, later became a fixture on Dancing with the Stars, according to background compiled from Wikipedia. Those earlier crossovers suggest Weaver's leap from sideline routines to Fosse choreography fits a pattern decades in the making, even as her route runs through a Netflix docuseries rather than a single reality-show cameo.
Whether critics embrace her vocal performance alongside her dance training remains to be seen, since her six-week run has not yet begun. For now, Weaver's casting stands as the latest example of how a hit streaming series can turn a regional sports entertainer into a bona fide Broadway draw.
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