Xochitl Gomez (pronounced “so-cheel”) brought so much Gen Z energy to Dancing with the Stars season 32. The 17-year-old was paired up with DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy, and they were revealed as the season 32 winners after a star-studded finale. Xochitl and Val earned perfect scores for their foxtrot and freestyle performances in the finale.
During the season 32 premiere, Carrie Ann Inaba told Xochitl that she had the “it factor.” Xochitl and Val hit the top of the leaderboard in the second week with their incredible salsa routine. They survived the Motown Night and Disney 100 Night eliminations. Over the course of season 32, Xochitl and Val have continued to wow us with their performances. For their semi-finals performances, Xochitl and Val stunned the ballroom with their samba and waltz routine, which both earned perfect scores from the judges.
So, who is Xochitl Gomez? She’s only 17 years old, but she’s already taking Hollywood and the ballroom by storm. Hollywood Life has rounded up everything you need to know about Xochitl.
Xochitl Made Her MCU Debut in the Doctor Strange Sequel
Xochitl played America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which was released in 2022. America has the ability to jump between the Multiverse, and Wanda/Scarlet Witch attempts to take America’s powers in the film. America is a queer Latina who was raised by two mothers. America is the MCU’s first Latina LGBTQ+ character.
Xochitl Rose to Fame on The Baby-Sitters Club
Xochitl played Dawn Schafer in the first season of Netflix’s The Baby-Sitters Club. She had to leave the show ahead of its second season after getting her role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. “It was sad that I could only do one season of The Baby-Sitters Club since I obviously wanted to do the second season, but both the show and Doctor Strange were filming at the same time. It was during [peak] COVID, so I couldn’t fly from England to Canada. I was really bummed out,” Xochitl told Seventeen. Prior to Doctor Strange, Xochitl appeared in TV shows like Raven’s Home, You’re the Worst, and Gentified.
Xochitl Is Experienced in Martial Arts
Xochitl is a fan of martial arts, which she started before The Baby-Sitters Club. While auditioning for Doctor Strange, the actress revealed to Seventeen that she did “kickboxing and stunt tumbling every other day for a couple of hours. It was intense, but I felt like it was necessary because if I got to the next stage, I didn’t wanna do a little and be nervous.”
Xochitl Has Dyslexia
The actress revealed she is dyslexic in an interview about how she prepared for her role in Doctor Strange 2. “It’s kind of the same preparation I do for all my auditions. I get the slides and go over them and over them because I have dyslexia, so in order for me to not fumble around, I have to really actually know the material,” she told People Chica.
Xochitl Is Bilingual
Xochitl’s dad is from Mexico, and she told People Chica that she “grew up with a lot of Mexican influences because all the kids I played with and my babysitter was from Mexico. My parents speak Spanish at home, so I feel like I’ve lived in both worlds, and that has shaped who I am as a person.”