From her start on So You Think You Can Dance to winning the mirror ball trophy as a pro on Dancing with the Stars, Witney Carson has had her husband Carson McAllister by her side through it all.
The couple began dating when they were in high school, and after surviving the hardships of a long-distance relationship after graduating, they got married in 2016 when they were both 22 years old.
In a video she posted on YouTube in 2018, Carson and McAllister spoke about their relationship and what they love about one another. “What I really love about Carson is his positivity and how fun he is. He always makes any situation positive and fun,” Carson said. As for McAllister, he said that his wife “cares for so many people around her, including myself. … She truly does put me first, even over herself. And that is very special to me about her.”
The two also both agreed on the importance of family. “It’s also hard with my career. It’s so important, it’s so stressful and we’re trying to make that a priority, but at the end of the day, family is most important,” Carson said in the video. “And so I think for us, over these two years we’ve kind of really tried to make that a point and really important that we always put one another first and one another’s needs before our own.”
Now, the pair have expanded their family to include their two children, Kevin Leo and Jet Carson McAllister.
So, who is Witney Carson’s husband? Here’s everything to know about Carson McAllister and his relationship with the DWTS star.
They met in high school
Carson and McAllister met when they were both high school students in American Fork, Utah.
“She was my dream girl since 7th grade. But she didn’t know I existed until senior year,” McAllister told when they got married in 2016. “We became really close friends and kinda started dating. From the second I got to know her, I could tell she was the most loving and understanding girl I’d ever met.”
When Carson announced their engagement in 2015, she shared that she and McAllister had been together for four years at that point.
“My love of four years @carson.mcallister proposed last night & I feel like the luckiest, happiest woman in the world,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “It was perfect, he’s perfect #engaged.”
They had a long-distance relationship
After they graduated from high school, Carson and McAllister’s relationship turned long-distance. He lived in Romania for two years as part of a mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, while Carson took part in season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance in 2012, where she came in second place. From there, she became a troupe dancer on DWTS before being promoted to a pro in 2014.
In their 2018 YouTube video, Carson said that she and McAllister weren’t sure that their relationship was going to work out once he returned to the U.S.
“Our first date when he came home, I took him to a grocery store,” she said. “It was the most awkward first date ever, because it felt like we still knew each other but things had changed so much. After a few more dates, it started to get a little bit more comfortable and then I invited him to Cancún with my family. That was the trip that we really knew that we were meant for each other and that we wanted to get married to each other.”
They got married in Salt Lake City
McAllister and Carson tied the knot on New Year’s Day in 2016. They got married in the Salt Lake City area of Utah and hosted their reception at NOAH’s Event Center in Lindon.
Carson’s DWTS castmates Emma Slater, Lindsay Arnold, Brittany Cherry and Jenna Johnson were bridesmaids in the wedding. DWTS pro Kym Johnson also attended, as did Carson’s celebrity DWTS partner Alfonso Ribeiro, with whom she won season 19.
“We’ve been in this limbo where he’s in Utah and I’m in L.A. and we haven’t been able to create a life together,” Carson told at the time. “Now, we get to have a fresh start together. I’m excited. He’s my best friend.” McAllister added, “She’s my best friend. I can’t wait to spend forever with her.”
They’ve been through hard times together
In December 2017, Carson opened up about her father-in-law Kevin McAllister’s battle with pancreatic cancer. She announced that she would not be participating in that winter’s DWTS tour after finding out that he only had a few weeks left to live.
Then, in March 2018, Carson posted on Instagram that Kevin had died. “It’s hard not to think, why does my husband have to live without his dad? Why do my kids not ever get to know their Poppy? & then I remember the Plan of Salvation, to know we will see him again… and that gives me peace,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself, McAllister and his dad. “I know Kevin is getting our kids ready to come down to meet us- he’s probably spinning them around on the floor right now, over and over again until they cry of laughter!”
The have two children
Carson and McAllister welcomed their first child together on Jan. 3, 2021. They named him Kevin Leo McAllister, with his first name as a tribute for his late grandfather, though he goes by Leo.
Announcing the birth on Instagram, Carson wrote, “Named after his grandpa who sent him down to us … My little Leo, I love you more than words can express. You are the most precious gift. My life will forever be changed by your sweet spirit.”
McAllister also shared the exciting news in his own post. “Feeling so proud to name my son after my dad Kevin Leo McAllister,” he wrote. “My life will forever be changed. I also have to say how proud I am of my sweet wife who went through the ringer. I’ve never loved you more @witneycarson.”
McAllister and Carson’s second son, Jet Carson McAllister, was born on May 13, 2023. Carson wrote on Instagram that Jet “decided to join us two weeks early on May 13th at 9:21pm, just in time for Mothers Day 🤗.” She added, “Our hearts have doubled in size for our Jetty boy. He’s the most perfect addition to our family and has already given us so much joy!”
McAllister posted photos taken in the hospital and shared a grateful message about his wife. “I am so happy to call @witneycarson the mother of my TWO precious boys,” he captioned the pictures. “She keeps me calm and keeps her cool cause she knows I’m loosing [sic] it inside. You’re my rock babe! Im so proud of you!”
McAllister is a mechanical engineer
While Carson is in the public eye as one of the stars of DWTS, McAllister is not in the entertainment industry. Instead, he works as a mechanical engineer, as noted in his Instagram bio.
In May 2022, Carson posted on Instagram about McAllister graduating from college.
Alongside a carousel of photos of him posing with loved ones while wearing his cap and gown, she wrote, “HE’S GRADUATED!!!! Words can’t describe how proud I am of this guy! It’s been six long years of rigorous work, sacrificing for me and my career, and here he is as a mechanical engineer graduate!”
He’s adventurous
Carson keeps active as a professional dancer, and her husband has shown off how athletic he is, too. In fact, his Instagram bio also lists that he’s an “adventure enthusiast.”
Posts on McAllister’s Instagram account show him driving boats, wakeboarding and playing golf, despite wearing a walking cast. Of the latter decision, he admitted that he didn’t know if he should be “embarrassed or proud.”