The Squeeze - Britt Stewart and Daniel Durant: The Power of Communication

Episode Date: October 29, 2025

In this week’s episode, Tay is joined by Dancing with the Stars pro Britt Stewart and her husband, actor Daniel Durant! This marks the first time The Squeeze has ever had an interpreter on the podcast, helping bridge the conversation between Britt, who is hearing, and Daniel, who is deaf. The two share how their partnership on DWTS grew into a romantic relationship — from Britt learning ASL to communicate with Daniel to how she taught him dance and rhythm in completely new ways. They open up about their wedding, Daniel’s upbringing and growing up with his aunt, and the misconceptions they wish more people understood about the deaf community. Britt reflects on her journey in dance, what it means to be the first Black female pro on DWTS, and how the entertainment industry can become more inclusive for all. They also talk about supporting each other’s representation, their biggest self-care and mental health tools, and what they’re most proud of — in themselves and in each other.Be sure to follow Britt https://instagram.com/brittbenae/ and Daniel https://instagram.com/danielndurant/!To email us your questions or share your story, you can reach out to [e-mail] sure to rate, review, and follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode! Plus, follow us on all of our socials:The SqueezeInstagram: https://instagram.com/thesqueeze/TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@thesqueezepodcastTay LautnerInstagram: https://instagram.com/taylautner/TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mrstaylautnerAmazon Storefront https://urlgeni.us/amazon/FDXj7 Taylor LautnerInstagram: https://instagram.com/taylorlautner/TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@taylorlautnerTo learn more from The Lemons Foundation, follow https://instagram.com/lemonsbytay/ and visit https://lemonsbytay.comEpisode Sponsors:Visit ToneToday.com and use code Squeeze for your discount.You can take back control today. For a limited time, you can get 15% off on your entire first order at BeyondAlpha.co. Just use the code Squeeze at checkout.Discover the Clearstem difference — because clear skin changes everything. Go to Clearstem.com/squeeze and use code Squeeze at checkout for 15% off your first order. Modern-day makeup that's clean, strategic, and multifunctional for effortless routines. For a limited time, our listeners are getting a free Cool Gloss on their first purchase when they use code Squeeze at checkout. Just head to JonesRoadBeauty.com and use code Squeeze at checkout. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them our show sent you. #sponsoredLet yourself run, lift, sculpt, push, and go. Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread+ at OnePeloton.com.Use the code “Squeeze” at Rhoback.com for 20% off your first order — now through the end of this week.Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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This is the first time we're having an interpreter. We feel like honored to be here, too. I think of podcasts, mostly for the hearing. Yeah, that's right. Thank you for being inclusive of our relationship. And Daniel, it means a lot. When production came to you and that he was going to be your partner and that he was deaf, what was your initial reaction?

My mind was in Dancing with the Stars mode. I don't trust an interpreter. Sorry, Justin. I was like, I don't. You're like, we need to work on this. That means that they're trusting me with his story. I want to learn ASL. She picked up sign language so quickly.

The interpreter actually became so bored at work. He was just standing in the corner. It was just something completely new for me. And I love feeling the rhythm and the vibrations from music. When did it go from friends to more than friend feelings for each other? I was talking to my mom and I was like, I'm thinking about Daniel a lot. You know, I did have some feelings for her. She's cool.

Look at her. She's an awesome person. And we were eliminated. I wanted to tell her that I actually liked her. And then she was looking at me. I was trying to think of something to say. How can I express this? His vows, I was taken aback.

I don't know if we're... Yes, we can share this. I had a breakdown. I got started with therapy pretty early, and so I've been going to therapy ever since I was young. It's okay if you have a mental health issue or you're not, you're feeling some anxiety or depression. Just be open about it.

We're all human. We've all had different experiences. We're two very different people. But we're soulmates. We fully believe that. Britt, Daniel, welcome to the squeeze. Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.

I asked my girlfriend who took ASL all through high school how did you squeeze, but then I googled it and I saw different things. So this is welcome. And then is it this? It depends on what the context is. Okay. For example, if you were squeezing a lemon or an orange, you would squeeze it like this or if you're squeezing someone with a hug, it would be like this. or if you squeeze something with your fist, it might be a little different.

It just depends on what you're talking about. Okay, that's what I gathered when I was trying to, when I typed it in, it said hug, and I was like, wait, no, but it's, so I didn't know. But can I sign it? Can you tell me if it's right? I tried to learn it. Okay.

Yay. There you. Beautiful. Thank you. Thank you. So this episode is so fun because this is the first time we're having an interpreter on the podcast, and I'm just so honored to have you both here.

I feel like I have watched you guys on the internet for so long and know your story, but I'm excited to hear more about you guys as individuals and also as a couple. Yeah, thank you. I feel, I mean, we feel like honored to be here too and that you're inclusive of Daniel and the opportunity to, you know, you think of podcast and I feel like it's mostly, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like it's mostly for the podcast. the hearing world, right? Yeah, that's right. Yeah. So thank you. Thank you for being inclusive of not only our story, but our relationship and Daniel. It means a lot. Sweet. Definitely. I agree

with Britt. I'm so happy to be here. And Britt's right. The deaf community doesn't tend to really listen to podcasts, but it's so nice to have those conversations that are really intimate. And so I really enjoy watching sometimes on YouTube or something like that, someone else's perspective and learning something new. So it's just great to be able to have this intimate conversation with each other and get to know each other. And thanks again for having us. Sweet.

So we start each episode off this jar. It's a game called Citrus. Got Real. Bray, if you want to pull a question out of there and read it for us, it's just like a little icebreaker game. I love it. Cool. Oh, no, I got, oh, no, that's fine.

Okay. If your pet could talk for one day, what's the first thing they'd say to you? Okay, I think this is like really special because right now we have two cats and Hudson and Orlando. And Hudson, he's actually really, he's actually really sick. He is having heart failure and it's been about about like 10, 10 months. Yeah, 10 months. And we were late today because he, sorry, this is TMI, but he threw up a couple times this morning. So we were concerned and worried. But I don't know. I think if Hudson could communicate for one day, I think first he would tell Daniel that he's fully accepted you as cat dad. And thank you. and yeah, I think he would just send us and say and communicate so much love. Yeah, I think.

What do you think? That's beautiful what you said. Yeah, I agree with you. You know, I think for me, if Hudson, Hudson would be more like, like, hi, you know, just really friendly. Or, hey, I'm hungry. I want some more food. Can I have some more food, please? you know, that kind of personality or say, can you give me a little more attention, please?

Or hey, please leave me alone. I need to go sleep. And what about Orlando? Oh, well. Orlando would be like, hey, hey, hey, how come you're not looking at me? Why don't you see me? Give me some attention all the time. Play with me. I want to play right now. What? There's not any food. You're giving him food, not me. Why are you giving attention so much attention to Hudson? Because he doesn't really understand that we have to take care of him of Hudson because he's sick. And so the other cat's like,

How come you're giving him so much attention rather than me? Oh. Yeah. Orlando is our troubled child. Oh. Yeah. That's so sweet. I know.

I wonder what I'm trying to think. I have two dogs. And one of them, I think, would, she's older. I think she'd just say, like, let me sleep. And the other one would just be like, ball, ball, ball. Like, she has so much energy. So I feel like she would really want to just, we would hear her saying ball. Yeah.

A lot. Yeah. I love that. That's a good question to start with. of it. So I think we had the same wedding planners. Yes. We were talking about that here on the way. That's so funny. How did, I want to talk about wedding because the video and the photos were stunning. Tell me about the day. It was just magical, I bet. Yeah. You want to start? Sure. To be honest, it was, I felt like I was in a dream. You know, we were over there in San Luis Obispo.

up north. And it was a beautiful place. And my family had started to trickle in and our friends were arriving. And it really just felt like a dream. And I really love to see my friends and family just really cooperating and mingling. Everybody was happy and had a great time. So that made me happy too. I just wanted everyone to enjoy themselves and just make some great memories at our wedding, you know? Yeah. And to be honest, I can't even explain it. There's not words to explain it. I think you just had to be there yourself to experience that moment, if you know what I mean. I mean, seriously, it was like a dream and I still can't stop thinking about it. You know, I'm enjoying looking at the videos and the photos and I wish that it didn't stop. Like I'd want to relive that experience

over and over again, really, truly, yeah. Yeah, I feel the same way. I felt like there was this magical, spiritual energy that I've never felt before in my life. I think that, you know, you can have these very beautiful moments, but that was, it was special. I don't know what it was. There's not one specific word I can use to explain it, but it just felt aligned and right. And we were emotional. I mean, we were like. It was so emotional.

Yeah. Yeah. And I think it was special because, you know, we're two very different people. But also our souls, I feel like, are very much, I mean, we're soulmates. We fully believe that. But our people also, they reflect us. And so it was this beautiful, like, blending of our family, community. friends, who we are. I'm a dancer. He's an actor, performer. It was everything. It was this beautiful blint of our two worlds coming to one. I'd love to kind of rewind a little bit and go back to Dancing with the Stars and you guys meeting. What, actually, I was going to ask, I want to know what your first impressions were of each other, but when production came to you

and told you that about Daniel and that he was going to be your partner and that he was deaf, what was your initial reaction? So my first reaction was, I want to learn ASL. I want to learn sign. Yeah, that was my first reaction because I didn't want to rely on an interpreter to communicate with him. And, you know, my mind was in dancing with the stars. mode. Like I was, I was in work mode. I was like, I don't trust. Sorry, Justin. I was like, I don't, I don't trust an interpreter to teach my partner how to dance. I need to myself.

So I ordered, I ordered on Amazon an ASL alphabet poster and how to count one through 10. because I was like, well, I will need five, six, seven, eight. I didn't because like I just, you know, cue him. But that was my, you know, very naive, ignorant mind thinking, this will help at least in the beginning to start. So that was my first reaction. And then I felt, I really felt very honored that they gave me Daniel as a partner because that means that they're trusting me with his story, and they're trusting me with an opportunity to have someone that's deaf learn how to dance.

And that in the hearing world is not always seen. So I also felt honored. Yeah. I'm just thinking back to that day, really. I mean, of course, you know, when I met Britt for the first time, you know, they didn't really tell me anything about who I was going to be with. I remember I was just nervous. You know, I was just thinking, oh, I'm going to freeze up. You know, I've never really had an experience like that before. And so I came with an interpreter. And the crew told me, hey, don't worry, your partner is so sweet. She's so nice and you're going to really like her. So I said, okay. And so then we met in person. And I was just so nervous. And the first thing, I could see is that Britt was so charming, so friendly, so comfortable. She was really motivated and ready to work with me. So then I thought, okay, let's get going. And really, she picked up sign language so quickly. And the interpreter actually became so bored at work because like a week later,

he was just standing in the corner. And finally, he came in when the camera was in the room. Then he had to go sit in the corner again. But she was just so focused on communication, on training, on rehearsals. and we learned together. And that's where we really, our communication grew and our bond began to grow and continues to grow. I do just want to add that he, yes, he was very nervous. Like his legs were shaking. Sorry.

I hope I'm not there. Yeah, pretty badly. No, no, no, it's fine. To be honest, I don't think I ever had that type of leg shakiness until that actual moment. And I don't even know why. So in a first meet, you know, you know, talk most of the time. It's just getting to know each other. And then after that, you start to

share about your first dance, what song, what style. And then you start to teach first steps because they want to, you know, they want to get that on camera. Like your first dance steps. It's like walking for the first time. And I remember I started teaching him and And his legs were like, like uncontrollably, like could not controllably shake. Oh, my gosh. And then we went on a break. I like went over to one of the producers. It was a woman named Diane.

And I was like, at the time, I didn't know death culture. So now I know what I was doing was wrong because I was like, you know, having a side conversation. But I was like, you think he. he will be okay? Like how under pressure on a live TV show, you think like during our first dance, his legs will shake in the ballroom. But you were amazing.

We're great. I didn't know that you had that sidebar with the producer that day. That's something new. Okay, learned something new. All right. Yeah, honestly, I was a little worried. I love you, Beth.

Sorry. What were you so nervous about? You know, it was just something completely new for me, a completely new experience. I hadn't done anything like that before in my life. And so, you know, growing up, you know, I grew up completely deaf. But some deaf people, there's a spectrum, right? Some can hear a little bit, but I'm completely profoundly deaf. And I love feeling the rhythm and the vibrations from music.

And I do enjoy music or a little bit of dancing myself or I had watched dancing on TV and then YouTube here and there, oh, how you do this dance. try and learn it and copy it a little bit personally. But dancing with the stars, you're just top level, serious professional dancers. You have all of these different styles and techniques. And I had never experienced anything like that before. So that was really out of my comfort zone. And I think I was nervous because it was the first time meeting my partner.

You know, who was my partner going to be? Is she really going to understand deaf culture? Will we have that connection? Will she understand how to lead me? you know, I wasn't the first deaf person on dancing with the stars. I was the third, and the other two had different partners. And so I think this was Brit's first experience of the deaf partner. And anyway, so once we met, and, you know, my nervousness was completely squashed.

And so then we just learned all of these dances and techniques together, and I really enjoyed it. And it was really fun for me. And so I loved every moment. And today, I even miss it. I still miss it. I would love to continue taking. dance lessons or I really wouldn't mind doing that. I know a good teacher.

Obviously. Honestly, sometimes, well, this just happened this season. I needed to change part of the choreography and I was testing it at home and I thought I was like, okay, this will be good, but I need a body to make sure it works before I teach it to Barron. So he was an his gaming room. And I was like, come on. I need to test some choreography on you. But you were ready. He was like, fine. Let's go. And then, of course, I gave him a hard time, which I love. She always does. She always has. I was like, he forgot everything. What happened? Not everything. Most. No. Oh, my gosh. I read in. In an interview you had done, Daniel, you said that Brit showed you the music.

And I think that is such a cool thing because it's true for you. What did that look like? How did you pick up the dance and how did you Brit kind of teach it to him without being able to actually count five, six, seven, eight? So I remember at that time we had a discussion, like what kind of music did we want to do for our first dance? And then we decided on a song. And honestly, I don't know that much about music. And so the interpreter of Britt had a discussion. They were like, okay, hey, what style and what's this?

And what does this feel like? What's the energy? What's the poetry of the dance and all that? And so then we found it. And in our dance studio, we had these big speakers. And Britt connected them to her phone. And she turned it up all the way. So I was pretty close to the speaker.

So I could really feel the vibrations from the suburb. subwoofers and I got an idea of the beat and the rhythm. And then we had some, some counting and really mostly how I memorized these dances were just muscle memory and just the repetition of doing it over and over again and watching how Britt moved because then I would know my next move. And so it was, I didn't think too much about the vibrations or the timing because that would have been too distracting. But I'm pretty proud of that, that we came up with a method that took us pretty far on the show, actually. I was learning it at the same time.

Yeah. Because, again, this was my first time working with someone deaf and really meeting someone deaf too. So I just knew that I needed to be open in the space and that really we would collaborate on so much of the process. A couple things, actually, our first fight. As friends, before we started dating, was because I wanted to go through the details more so that we could work on technique and, you know, details in dance are so important, especially on TV because film shows everything. But at that time, he, you know, he was communicating to me that he still didn't know the rhythm and how fast or, How slow. And I say fight, but really it was just like a passionate discussion because after rehearsal, we texted each other.

We were like, sorry. Yeah, sorry. We're both passionate. We both. Yes. But yeah, I had to change the way that I taught Daniel in the best way because I also became a better educator, a better teacher, choreographer after his season two. He had to learn everything, not just the technique and the style, but how fast or slow the rhythm. And he had to, you know, remember all of that.

Yeah. And one moment, too, I don't know if you remember this, but Carrie Ann gave you some feedback. I think it was maybe like week four. It was about halfway into the process. And she was saying that all of his dances were kind of like becoming, not monotone, but just the same. And I realized, I was like, he doesn't have the opportunity of hearing the ebbs and flows of music or what the words are saying in that exact moment. So then about halfway through, we started also studying the music too. Like in this moment, the vocalist, the singer, he's really up.

But then it goes a little bit more quiet and a little bit more down. And he's an amazing performer. So he was able to get all of that information and then go from there. Yeah, that's right. You remember that? No. It happened. Something new that has been on repeat for me lately is Roebuck's brand new Vista

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Go ahead. You go first. So really it happened after we got eliminated. And we got eliminated semifinals. So there was only one more episode left. And we got eliminated and we were just like standing across from each other. And I think realizing that this journey was finished. And I think in that moment we both realized that.

we had feelings for each other, that it really started as a team that became a real authentic friendship. And then we were like, okay, we like each other. He looked at me. No, he was looking at me. And I looked at him. I was like, why are you staring at me? Why are you looking at me like that?

And he said, I think you know. And I was like, oh. Yeah. And also same. But then we still didn't, we didn't like, it's not like in that moment we were like, oh, we're going to kiss and make it. No, we just still stood there. Like, okay.

We went to dinner. And then after the elimination, you don't see each other for a few days. and I know for me I realized that I missed you, not seeing you every day. I was also curious how I would feel not seeing him because Dancing with the Stars is so serious. It's like it's high emotions. You see each other every single day. And, you know, I was like, is this real? Yeah.

I remember driving home. from rehearsal one day. And I was talking to my mom and I was like, I'm thinking about Daniel a lot. And I think it's maybe like more than I should be. But still, I didn't know if I was just obsessed about like the competition and making sure I was doing everything right for him to succeed. But yeah, the feelings, it was, the feelings were, they were growing for sure. Yeah. At that point, how well were you able to communicate with Daniel? Did you still need the interpreter? Where were you at in ASL journey?

You know, I think just the first week, really, we used an interpreter and, you know, she wasn't quite fluent yet, but I think it only really took about a month for her, for us to communicate. Her sign language just really took off. And everything that I taught her. the next day she remembered everything. So I was pretty impressed with that. I was like, wow, this is amazing because she's a natural. You know, she learns really quickly. I mean, much faster than the average person would. It's amazing. I don't know how you do it.

I had an amazing teacher. But seriously, he knew when to, now looking back, he knew when to introduce new sign to me. He wasn't introducing sign every single, every day. He did it not slowly because I learned fast, but you could see that I was ready for more and when I was ready for more. So he taught me very good, in my opinion. Well, you know, you were a great teacher. You taught me dance and I taught you ASL.

You know, it's an equal exchange. Yeah. That's a good trade. I would take that trade. I think I was watching an interview that you did and they had asked about communication between you guys and you were like, it's funny because like your communication is actually so well. And I think that just speaks volumes to the two of you. And I love that you both come from different backgrounds, but you really just found your person. and you've just made it work.

Thank you. Yeah. I mean, I agree. It is kind of wild that, you know, like we were raised in two very different ways, two very different worlds, two different languages. And you're right. This is like in my relationship history, this is the best communication that I have ever experienced before. And I think it had a lot to do with our beginning.

You know, we really team, friendship, we learned a lot about each other before we started dating. And then after we started dating, it felt like everything moved really fast. We were having really hard conversations in the beginning of our dating life. And I think it set the right foundation for. for our relationship that we will always be open with each other. And I don't know. Do you think we were like forced to have good communication because of our different languages? Because always we're like, did you understand right?

Like we're always making sure. Yeah. Maybe. Uh-huh. I think it was just us personally where we were very open. with each other personally. And of course, you know, during part of the day when we had off time, you know, I tried to just play it cool or if I was upset or something. She always knew instinctively. She said, hey, Daniel, are you okay? And I'd express my feelings to her. And I would see that with her,

too. We'd always check in on each other. And I think we're really good like that. Sweet. You talked about your different upbringings. And Daniel, I'd love to kind of dive into to what growing up look like for you. I know that you were raised by your paternal aunt. How did you end up with her? So I was born in Detroit, and I was born completely deaf, and my biological parents were both deaf. And my biological mother, who was deaf,

was a drug addict and really hard drugs. She was drinking, too. It was pretty bad. And my father, he was a drinker, but when he grew up, he just had a different life when he was growing up. And how do I describe it? I think he was language deprived. So he didn't grow up with access to language, meaning he grew up just without any language at all. And so at school, he didn't learn sign language.

You know, he really tried to focus and struggled a lot with his education. And from what I heard, he really worked hard and ended up doing well in school. But anyway, so I was adopted when I was 18 months old, and my biological father's sister adopted me when I was 18 months old. And I didn't have any language at that time. And so I would just scream and point at something. And so my aunt, I'm so grateful to my aunt, she took me to deaf clubs and the deaf night out. And she really made a network. and where I grew up was in Duluth, Minnesota, which is a pretty small town.

It's a beautiful town, but it's pretty small, and there wasn't many deaf people living there. But fortunately, there were a few deaf people I was able to meet, and I looked up to. And, you know, my biological father, I'd see him every once in a while, mainly during the holidays. He'd come and visit. And my biological mother, we lost touch for a long time. I wasn't sure where she was living or what she was doing. and my aunt was really protecting me from my biological mother because the reason why she adopted me is because my mother didn't show up for a court date. There was some kind of custody battle. I can really, really go into it, but let me go back a little bit.

So some folks told me who knew of my biological mother, when I was born, my mom didn't really take care of me. she kind of just left me alone most of the time and she would leave me with friends. Hey, can you take care of my son? So I was in a crib or whatever. And then one day, my biological mother asked one of her friends, hey, can you watch Daniel? Maybe for about a month. And the friend said, sure. And so this friend took care of me for a month and my mom never came back.

And so this friend, the one month quickly turned into three months. And fortunately, they found my biological father. and I was still a baby. And he said, is this your son? And my dad said, yeah. And these people who were taking care of me were really poor. I mean, they were feeding me really unhealthy things. And so I was kind of sickly and overweight.

And so my aunt and my grandparents took me to the hospital. And then this court date ended up happening, which ended up with my aunt adopting me. So my biological mom didn't show up for this particular court date. And so that gave my. aunt the right to adopt me. So back then, I shouldn't have been living outside of Michigan, but they let me move to Minnesota because if my mother had, my biological mother had wanted me to come back, she would have had the legal right to take me back. So my aunt really didn't want that to happen. And so I was being protected over there in Duluth, Minnesota. So I learned

sign language. I picked everything up. I did well. And to be honest, you know, I wouldn't be here. if not for my aunt. My aunt is a wonderful woman. She's such a strong and stubborn woman, but I'm so lucky to have had that type of mother raising me because, you know, I had some PTSD and some trauma, and, you know, that happens. I don't remember a lot of what happened when I was a baby,

but I went to a therapist and a psychologist, and they said, yeah, you have these traumas. And so fortunately, my aunt was such a strong woman, and really she did anything for me. She took me to therapy. She took me to all these great services for the deaf. And I was involved with the deaf community. She learned deaf culture.

She learned my language. And I found my passion as an actor. And so I think that's the story. That's so sweet. She sounds like an incredible woman. I think I read, I either read it or it was an interview that you had done, but you had said some crazy stats.

that it was like, I want to say maybe 80% of, do you know, this stat? Of hearing parents. Yes. So I believe the statistic is 85% of deaf children are raised by hearing parents, and the hearing parents don't know sign language at all. And so fortunately, my aunt is hearing, and she is fluent in sign language. And I was used to that, but every time I met other deaf people, they'd say, hey Daniel, you're so lucky your mom can sign, you're so lucky. And I said, oh, whatever, no big deal.

And then I went to the school for the deaf. And I remember I was in eighth grade. And I was socializing with my deaf friends. And I went over to their house where they're hearing families lived and none of them could sign. And they were like, yep, thumbs up or just a gesture here and there. But I couldn't even imagine how would you have a relationship or a bond with your own parents? You know, if your parents wanted to teach you something or have a connection with you. Of course, communication is so important with a parent, between a parent and a child. And, you know, a lot of deaf people hate the holidays because it's like a nightmare. Because imagine you go home with your family and everybody's socializing and talking and you have no idea what's

going on. You're isolated. You're bored. And fortunately, my aunt would interpret for my hearing family members. But my deaf friends didn't have that experience. No one in their family knew sign language. They'd just wave and say hi. And sometimes they'd say, what did they say? And you go, oh, yeah, I'll tell you later. So deaf people really tend to be isolated with their hearing family. So I was really fortunate that my two mothers knew sign language. When I learned that statistic, that made me so sad and angry. Yeah. To put it. But it's my belief and from my perspective, and maybe I'm wrong, or maybe I'm right. But today, I think because of social media, it's really helped big time with that. And so I'm seeing more and more hearing parents. They have a baby who happens.

to be deaf, and then they're learning some sign language online, and it's become more and more popular on social media. So I think that's really nice. And so hopefully that this continues, and maybe that statistic will improve. You know, I really hope so anyway. Anyway, just to put that out there. Yeah, that's great. What do you feel are some common misconceptions about the deaf community that you wish people would understand? There's a pretty long list. But I'm, I'm, pretty shocked that some hearing people today don't know that deaf people can drive. I was shocked when he said that to me and I was like, what? But yeah, I guess some people believe that, right?

Yep. And let me think. I can't, there's not one that comes to mind right. Do you have one? Okay, what is it? I think one question I get asked is if our home is quiet. because Daniel is deaf. And I'm like, no, the opposite.

I, you know, sometimes, like, we will FaceTime and he has no idea that the TV sound is on, like, high. And I'm like, babe, you're going to the TV's on. Or, you know, little things like that. I think, you know, people assume that if you have someone deaf in your life, that your life is quiet. and it's like so far from the truth and maybe like loud in the sense of like sound, but we have such like a colorful loud life. Yeah. Yeah, I'd just like to add that, you know, when I tell a hearing person that I'm deaf,

most of the time hearing people just freeze like a deer in headlights. And they're like, do you read lips? Can you speak? Can you read lips? And I say, no, not really. I mean, most of the time, depending on the situation, like if I'm in the bank or any place where you sit down and have a meeting. And they're like, no, you know, I just do a voice to text app or let's text back and forth.

A lot of hearing people just freeze up. And so I'm pretty used to that. I'm like, yeah, it's okay. Let's just use our phones to communicate. And then it works, but it's awkward. And there's some awkward moments if I'm in an Uber. And the Uber pulls up and I get into the Uber. And, you know, I wave.

and they say something. And I'm waving again, and it's kind of awkward. And they're like, what does this guy do? And why is he waving at me? And I say, I'm deaf. And they say, oh, okay. Most of the time they're like, just give me a thumbs up and say, oh, that's fine. And other times they just act weird and it's just awkward.

And so I think that's something that's happened pretty frequently, yeah. Yeah, that's why I feel it's so important to have representation in entertainment, too. Like one of my favorite shows, Ginny and Georgia, the father in it is deaf. and the kids sign with him. And I think it not, I guess normalizes it because like you, you never really had a relationship with someone who was deaf. And same with me. And it helps kind of show us how to not be like the awkward Uber driver

or not to have those awkward conversations. So I think it's super important that is represented in entertainment. And I'd love to know, Daniel, how do you think we can better? I mean, both of you, honestly, how. how we can better include representation of the deaf community and entertainment and in spaces like that. That's a good question. To be honest, I think year after year, it's pretty different.

So I was in the movie, well, let me go back, actually. So during Switched at Birth, when I was on that show Switched at Birth, it was on ABC Family at that time, and they had a few deaf characters. And that was the first time I was on a TV series. And it was really nice. We had a lot of opportunities because, there was a lot of deaf actors working in L.A. at that time, and Deaf West Theater was running on stage at that time. And when Switched at Birth was over, it was done. And a lot of these

deaf actors didn't have opportunities. You know, L.A. is so expensive to live in. And a lot of these deaf actors moved out of L.A. The community really shrunk. And then I didn't see any opportunities really pop up for quite a while. And, you know, when Switched at Birth was on TV, other writers or producers would get ideas for more deaf characters and then when switched at birth was over it was almost like we were forgotten and from my perspective you know of course I'd love to have more opportunities and I'd love to act you know in TV or film I'd love to play a villain I'd love to play a murderer or you know a romantic lead or or the whole spectrum but the opportunities really weren't out there and most writers are hearing right and if they put a

deaf character in a script, you're like, oh, that's great. But it's from the hearing perspective, which is a little bit off. They don't completely understand. There's a bit of ignorance there. And so I remember the first time I was in a movie, I took the role. And it would be nice if the writer or the director or the producer would really socialize with deaf people and get feedback or talk to a deaf consultant to get some feedback on the script a little bit.

And so then I was cast for the movie Coda. And it really made a big impact. I think worldwide. Globally, it made an impact at that moment. You know, people in other countries, there was productions adding deaf characters all over the world. There was more deaf characters on TV. And it looked great. And then, of course, then the strikes happened, the writers and actor strike. And then all of a sudden, it just plummeted again. It became silent. It became quiet regarding opportunities. Then I think it wasn't just me. I think other, or just deaf actors, I think all actors had that,

that quiet moment. But I think I've kind of seen the same kind of this wave, right? And you're riding the wave with Coda and deaf characters are hot and then it goes down. And so I'm seeing the ebb and the flow and the ups and downs. And so I've seen that, but I think how can we fix the problem or how can we do something about it? I really don't know. I don't know.

An idea. Yeah. I don't think you have to write a deaf character. I think that you, I think that deaf actors should be included in all characters. And if it's more like open, you know, I think that character can then be like adjusted a little bit for a deaf perspective. But I think sometimes the mindset is you have to have a written in the script, death. character. Yeah. Yeah. You know how as guys get older, they start saying things like, I don't know what's going on. I'm doing everything right, but something just feels off. Maybe it's

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Did you always want to do dance? When did that start? How did that come to be? Oh my goodness. Okay, well, I started dance at three years old. And my mom and dad put me in it because I think in my like kindergarten class, there was this teacher that talked to my parents to my mom and was like, your daughter, I know she's three, but she has really good movement skills. and suggested they put me in dance. And then that became the only thing I wanted to do. And so it started at three. And then both my parents are business people.

So they're creative, but they're not artists. So they were in this new, huge, crazy world of dance. I went into competitive dance. And then they were like, what is happening? because that whole world is crazy. Like, think dance moms, but in my upbringing, much more, less drama, more tame. Yeah. And then I, let's see, I actually, I started working in dance professionally early.

I was 15. Okay. It happened. I wasn't expecting it. was kind of like discovered in a dance class when I was 15. And I got hired to be a dancer in the high school musical in the high school musical movie. You were 15? Yeah, it was 15. I was 15 in it. And it just happened. And before that, I always thought I wanted to be a doctor or something in medicine. But I also knew that I loved, that I loved dance and that was my passion.

So I didn't know how to do both. But after high school musical, my whole life changed, really. I got an idea for what it was like to be on set and what a career in dance would be like. And it changed. I decided then I wanted to dance professionally and I was very blessed and I'm so grateful because the doors just, they kept opening. It was like, you know, God or the universe was leading me in this direction. Yeah. And yeah, started at 15 and I still, like, I didn't quickly become like this Hollywood kid.

I still stayed in Colorado. My parents were very serious about, you know, like keeping me humble. You will not become a Hollywood kid. So I filmed both High School Musical 1 and 2 still in high school. Okay. And then I graduated, moved to L.A. I still, still thinking I would maybe do something in medicine, went to college. But then booked High School Musical 3.

And then after that, I was like, okay, I'm dancing. I left college and started that, started dancing. When you got the call for Dancing with the Stars, what was that like? Did you want to be on the show? Like, how did that come to be? So Dancing with the Stars, some people know, like OG fans know that when I first started on troop. I had never had professional ballroom training before. You know, I was trained in ballet and jazz and contemporary and tap, like all the different other dance styles. So, no, I was not expecting

to get a call from Dancing with the Stars for that one reason. I was working on a job with Mandy Moore. I know. Like, the best choreographer in the world. No question. Yeah. The annual's experience working with her. Love her. I still dream about working with her again. Maybe a Deaf West or Broadway production one day. That would be amazing. Must, Mandy. Yes. I mean, we've talked about it. So it will happen. Hopefully. So I was in rehearsal with her. And we We were doing a job for Disney's 60th anniversary. And we needed to film something. Derek was hosting.

And Whitney Carson was supposed to be his dance partner, but she was traveling on her honeymoon, I believe. So Derek needed a dance partner. And so last minute, Mandy was like, Brit. go dance with Derek. That video, Mandy, sent it to all the Dancing with the Stars producers, ABC, Disney, and I got my audition for troupe from that rehearsal, from that video. I was like, freaking out. I'm going to audition for Dancing with the Stars.

They knew I wasn't trained, but they knew I could do it. So I auditioned. I didn't get it right away, but six months later, I got a call. They asked me to join the troop, and I started the next day. And then I was on troop for five seasons. Okay. And then during season 28, they got rid of Troop. I remember getting that call from our showrunner at the time, different from now.

And before that fall season, I had auditioned again to become a pro. It was a different audition process. And so that same summer, got a call. call. And very quickly, he said, this is not a good call. And I was like, okay. He let me know that I wasn't going to get promoted to a pro that season. And then at the same time, they were getting rid of the troop. But he was very nice. He was like, we love you. We don't think this is the end of year dancing with the star's journey. It's just not happening. This season and it's it's bad timing because we're also getting rid of troop yeah so i had a year off

and then in 2020 i got promoted to be a pro and i remember dina who um she's the casting director and also ep executive producer um she texted me if i was available for video chat and when Dina texts, you answer. Like, you don't wait. You just answer. And I remember they let me know that I was becoming a pro. And I was almost like, I was in shock. I was frozen a little bit.

I think I didn't have like a lot of emotion. I was very clearly happy. But then after that call, I called my mom and then I like lost it. I was like, the floodgates of emotion were just like going crazy. And it was so excited. Oh my gosh. That's so special. And you're the first ever black female pro on the show. What does that mean to you? I mean that it means everything. I remember when I became a pro, I was first excited for like my dreams in work and in dance after experiencing Dancing with the Stars on Troop for so long. I was like, this is really happening. So that was my first thought of just emotion with that. And then after that, I was like, wait, this is a bigger deal than just simply

booking my dream job. This is also going to mean a lot for many people that that look like me. Yeah. And so I saw the significance and the importance and the value of that. And, um, I tried to not let the pressure get to me, but it does. It did then at that time, and it still does now. I mean, he knows, like, yeah, I, even this season when I got eliminated first, I was first upset for both myself and Baron. And then I always feel this responsibility for other black women and to be that representation. And so, you know, this season he's helped me a lot with that pressure. And that really I put on myself.

But I just want to succeed not only for me, but for like, you know, the little black girls that are looking up to me. that I, you know, that I cherish so much and I want them to do better than me. Yeah. I want to, yes, you know, I am the first and sometimes being the first has a learning process and is sometimes I think like slower than the second or the third, but I know that I'm opening these doors and breaking the, you know, the barriers because I hope that those little those little girls that are looking up to me, I hope they will be better than me one day

and more successful than me one day. I hope. They will. Sweet. I remember, I watched the show, but I remember seeing you upset, and it's sweet to hear that, I mean, obviously I would be upset to if I was going home, but just to really hear your heart behind it too.

and like you don't just want it for like you and your partner you want it for the other little girls out there watching you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think I think it's important to to see the big, the big picture. Yeah. Yeah.

How do you both? Because you both are such large representations for your communities, which I think just make you like such a power couple and it's the best thing. How do you do? deal with those pressures and not letting them get to you because if you start to really take that weight on your shoulders, it can get really heavy. Yeah. I think the two of us can relate on that level. I mean, of course, it's so different regarding the black community and the deaf community. But, you know, look at me. I'm white. I, you know, had a lot of privilege. And it's, there is a difference there. The deaf community has deaf black people as well, of course. And

So, you know, I think I am different, but I've had privilege, and I, but I always try my best every day to learn about her community because, you know, one day the two of us will have kids. And those kids will be a part of both of our community. So I think it's really important to learn from each other and just have that mutual support and just be there for each other. And I think, you know, of course, Britt can have some feelings on, you know, how obstacles people face in the world.

And then, of course, you know, in her workplace, she's really risen really high. And she's done a great job. I'm so proud of her. And she's so inspiring. She's inspiring for me, too. I learn a lot from her every day. But, you know, I think that's what I can say. It's just I try my best.

And I think we learn about each other's communities. And what do you think about the deaf community, Brett? You know, also, you know, I really love when she sim comes, when she communicates, when she signs and speaks at the same time. or even on dancing with the stars, she'll do it. And sometimes she'll sign when she's on tour. And I really love to see that because she's thinking about my community too. And it's beautiful. It's really touching.

And a lot of deaf people always come up to me. They go, hey, Daniel, oh, I love your wife. Oh, she signs. Her sign language is improving. Oh, her sign language is beautiful. And I say, yeah, yeah, I know, I know. It makes me proud to. And so, you know, she's amazing with that.

And I love to see deaf people give their feedback. I think about two weeks ago, I was there. And there was a couple of deaf folks there on Dancing with the Stars. And they were so thrilled that Britt was there and they approached her. And, you know, I can't even imagine, you know, this is a pro dancer who is fluent in sign language and communicate directly to members of the deaf community, not through an interpreter, but directly. And it really means the world to deaf people. And, you know, Britt really does that. I think she really has a deaf heart.

And a deaf heart means you really have that empathy and that understanding for the deaf community and you do anything to be. better that community. And so I think Brett really does have a deaf heart. Yeah. I mean, I feel like it's special when you get accepted into the deaf community. It's like, it's like this, I don't know how to sign it, but badge, like badge of honor. It's like, you know, no, I don't know. But badge of honor because it really is a special community and inclusive and bright and beautiful. And so, you know, when I fell in love hard with Daniel, it, like, it hit me like a train. It was like the universe gave me no option.

I mean, I like very happily, but said yes. But, you know, when I accepted that, I also. knew that I was accepting his community with that too. And just like he says, you know, one day when we have kids, you know, his kids will be half black, our kids will be included in the deaf community. And we talk about it all the time that in our home, it's ASL first. That's the first language. And so, yeah, I feel honored and I respect the deaf community. And I do, it's interesting.

I see us and I'm like, we're just Daniel and Brett, you know. Yeah. Just loving each other. But I do also realize that we hold a lot of representation in both of our communities. And in the entertainment industry, too, I realize that. And I think we are always talking about how we can amplify that. Yeah. And I do think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves.

I think sometimes I put pressure on him too. I'm sorry, babe. But I think what helps is having your safe place. Like we always say that our home, when we walk through our front door, that's safe. That is our place and space for us to just be us and to not worry. So we can really just open up, like, let all the... you know, outside opinions and negativity just like drip off when we arrive home. I agree. Yeah.

What are your biggest self-care mental health tools? I feel like you guys both have busy schedules. So what do you do to stay grounded and stay mindful? For me, I've long time. I've been in therapy. Now I go like I'm not very, very, consistent, but I have my therapist on like ready for text for the next meeting. I also meditate. I started meditating when I was like 23. And now I find that's a beautiful tool for me and for my mental health. Yeah.

I have a lot actually. Also like movement meditation. is amazing for me. I think maybe it's like the dance. Part of the dancer in me. What is that? Movement meditation. It's specifically, I do chi gong.

Okay. And it's like a, it's a little bit like Tai Chi, but in Chinese culture, chi, chi, chi, sorry, I spelled that wrong. Chi is energy. And so it's really, It's really like simply, it's the moving of your energy. That.

Wow. And you can like, you can feel your body like buzzing and you can feel it. At least for me, I can. Yeah. When I was growing up, I went to a mainstream school and I was the only deaf student. And that's where my two mothers and some of my teachers, they noticed I had some behaviors And so I got started with therapy pretty early. And so I've been going to therapy ever since I was young.

And that really did help me big time and help me understand some tools and appropriate behaviors and so on. And I think therapy did really help me. I think the whole time I was in school, I was in therapy from elementary school to high school. I always had a therapist. And after that, I went to college and became an actor. And I didn't really go to therapy for quite a while until I was in the play Spring Awakening on Broadway. way. And my character was Moritz. And it was a pretty dark and depressing role to play. And, you know, I'm a method actor myself. So how I really dove into that role and that depression was

I had to think back and force myself to think about my own traumas about what happened to me, like negative experiences in school when I was bullied or when I screwed up. And then I didn't want to think about that again. I just kind of stashed it away. And then I became this character. And I kind of opened Pandora's box and all those negative memories started coming out. And I was really proud that I was able to do well in that play. It was a beautiful performance. It was really deep. It was such a great cast. Everyone really did a good job. And after that, after the show was over, you know, I didn't really think that it made an impact on me. But then I started getting depression myself. and I was in depression, I was depressed for a pretty long time.

And then it hit me that, of course, you know, I was in touch with my mom sometimes. And they said, Daniel, you haven't been going to therapy for such a long time. You need to go see a therapist. And I said, yeah, you're right. So fortunately, I found a deaf therapist or hard of hearing therapist who could hear a little bit, but new sign language. And that really did help me and taught me some more tools. And I did that for about a year.

And then after that, I didn't, again, until much later, during COVID. and that was a worst time for me, I think, in my whole life, because at that time, we just finished shooting the movie Coda. It was such a wonderful experience. We had three months going out in a boat in Massachusetts, and it was a big movie. It was so successful. And then all of a sudden, COVID hit, and everything was on pause.

I didn't have any employment. And I was pretty broke. And I had to move back in with my parents. And at that time, you know, I was almost in my 30s. And so I had to go back to live with my two moms. and, you know, I didn't feel proud of myself. I felt like my self-esteem really took a dive. I was working in a restaurant.

I was working as a bus boy in a restaurant, you know, washing dishes and cleaning up tables. And I really went downhill. And I had a breakdown, you know. And I think that only happens, you know, once in a while with people. But during COVID, it happened to me a few times. And then my two mothers said, Daniel, go to therapy again. So I listened. I went to therapy, went to the doctor,

got some medication that did help, some antidepressants. And so I think mental health is really important. And so seeing a therapist has helped me. And, you know, I need to work out more. You know, I'm just, I'm all talk, but I need to work out more. You know, since dancing with the stars, you know, I was so happy because we were exercising every single day. I was sweating. I was moving. You know, I was really enjoying it. And then at home, I felt good. It was almost like you, you were vibrating. You felt so good. And then after that, I was kind of, you. I was kind of, kind of lazy a little bit. And I said, okay, you know what, I do need to work out a little bit. It is really important. And sometimes, you know, if I had a hard day, I really do enjoy playing

video games. You know, it's a really nice place for me to escape and disconnect. And just you're in the game. You're in that world. You're just completely immersed and playing. So I do really enjoy a game with the storyline or that feeling when you win, you know, when you're playing a game. And socializing, too, you know, living in L.A., deaf people live all over the place. It's it's really rare to have an opportunity to see my friends in L.A., but we socialize when we play video games. So I have a group of deaf guys. You know, hearing people can talk over headsets,

but we have a separate Zoom where we can kind of joke around and chat and play video games together. I really do enjoy that. That really does help my mental health, too. You know, it's okay if you have a mental health issue or you're not, you're feeling some anxiety or depression. Just be open about it. I think we're all human.

We've all had different experiences. It's okay to go to therapy. You know, I remember. remember when I was in school, the teacher would say, just to let you know, don't forget, you have a therapist appointment soon. I was like, why is it such a secret? What, you know, you can just, it's fine if people know about it. And like, oh, I thought this was a private issue. And, you know, I didn't understand why there was kind of a stigma back then. I think that where people weren't so open about therapy. And we're all trying to take care of our own mental health and our

own emotional condition. Because again, we're human. We all have this human condition. There's nothing wrong with that. So that older way of thinking was to stigmatize it. Like if you're going to therapy, you must have a problem. And, you know, I think it's really important to not think of it that way, just to be open and really we can improve ourselves and be better people. For sure. That's so true. We talk about therapy all the time on the podcast because I believe so much that you have to do the work when everything's fine so that when it does get messy, you have the tools and you're prepared. Last couple questions I have for you guys is,

first, I'd love to know what you're most proud of yourself for, whether it's life, career, whatever it is. I feel like we don't get to reflect on ourselves like that. So me, you want me to start? Okay. What am I most proud of? I think I'm proud that I found my passion. I'm proud that I found my real talent.

And I think how I knew I had this unique talent regarding sign language and my expressiveness and how I could put it all forward was growing up, I had a deaf and hard of hearing teacher and an interpreter. And they didn't see many folks sign the way that I did. And I really enjoyed making facial expressions and acting. I always really wanted to act. So when I graduated from high school, I started a YouTube channel and I would tell stories in ASL and tell deaf jokes. and that's where I started growing my skill and also growing my fans online. And I went off to college and I went into IT.

You know, it was completely off topic. And I didn't really like it. And, you know, that was where I really started having fans on campus. They're like, Daniel, what are you doing here? Why don't you go to Gallaudet University? And that's a deaf liberal arts university in Washington, D.C. And at the time, I was going to a technical college in New York at our named RIT in Rochester, New York.

And what are you doing here, Daniel? go to Galedette. And I was like, all right. And so then I left that school, transferred to Galadette, and I auditioned for some plays, and I kept getting turned down. I wasn't cast. And then my motivation at school and college was pretty tough. I totally lost my motivation.

I decided to leave college. And of course, my mothers were so upset. They were angry with me because that side of the family is very well educated. And my grandmother was a principal at a big high school. my grandfather was on the board of education and my mom was an English teacher and it was just a really educational family so all of a sudden I became a black sheep

and we went back and forth at that time when I left college I was living with my two mothers and I started buying you know those little camcorders those handheld camcorders and I was posting things on YouTube and they kept yelling me stop doing that Daniel Focus go apply for a job

go go to another college and I was like no I'm doing this YouTube channel I have family I need to grow my fans. I need, they like what I'm doing. And so I went back and forth with them. And then I got a role, a Deaf West theater production, and then everything went from there. And when Koda went to the Oscars, my two mothers flew in. They joined us and they went around with me.

They were there all night at the Oscar parties to like five in the morning. And so after the parties were over, I remember going back to the hotel. And I went up to my mom's, hey, do you remember where you were pissed off at me when I was recording things with my camcorder for my YouTube channel. Look, now we're here, and they laughed and looked over at me. So I think that's what I'm most proud of myself for. You know, of course, you know, we all love our parents, and our parents always want to do what's best for us.

And at the same time, you understand their perspective is education and degrees and jobs, but at the same time, I knew that path wasn't for me. I knew that I had talent. I knew I could act. I knew I had it in me, and I knew I needed to follow that dream. I'm so happy and proud that I was stubborn enough to chase that dream. So to let anyone know who's listening out there, you know, you may have these dreams about

your life. And if your parents disagree, that's all right. You know, the world is yours. The world is ours, right? And so we need to create our own path and make our own choices. And parents will always be there to support and love you no matter what choices you make. I don't know how to follow that, but I will. I will say that I'm proud that I have trusted the universe and God in my life because I feel like without that trust, I would have overthought everything.

I would have over-analyzed. And I think the most beautiful things that have happened in my life have been divine, have been like what I, didn't expect. And that includes work, some of my favorite moments in my career. And it also includes Daniel. I feel like I'm so grateful I didn't overthink even like dating you because we met on Dancing with the Stars. I always said I would never, I would never like fall in love or date a partner on

on the show and now we're married. So I'm, you know, I'm so proud of myself for just allowing, for just allowing. Yeah. Yeah. Last question is I'd love to know what you're most proud of the other for. Wow. I might get emotional, but to be honest, I'm so proud of Britt for everything, for everything that she is.

Britt, who you are. You work so hard. You're so passionate. it. And I know the dancing world is not an easy place to be in. And she inspires so many people. She works so hard. And I can see what she does every single day. And plus, she works, does nonprofit work, too. And so she's just, you know, I feel more than proud. Proud isn't the right word. What's a better word than proud, really? I am proud of you for you. You are like, Daniel Durant is the only one in this whole world, and you are stubborn in that.

And I'm proud of you for being stubborn in that. He's laughing. I'm so lucky to have her. I'm so lucky that you love me. Oh. So sweet. This has been so special, and I'm so thankful for you guys for coming on. And I'm just, I love following you.

And I'm, this is a first for the squeeze. So thank you as well. It's been great. Thank you, Justin. Thank you so much. This is really amazing, beautiful time with you. I really enjoyed it. And it's so nice that the two of us, yeah, we know each other, but it's nice to talk about these things again.

You know, it feels good, you know. So sweet. Thank you, guys. Thank you. Yee. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products. or services referred to in this episode.