Daniel Durant

Durant was born deaf in Detroit, Michigan to deaf parents who struggled with addiction; he was adopted as a toddler by his paternal aunt Lori Durant and later her wife Mary Engels. He grew up in Duluth, Minnesota.^[4] He attended the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault and graduated in 2008.^[5] He studied at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York, receiving an associate degree in applied computer technology in 2011.^[6] He subsequently attended Gallaudet University, earning a degree in 2014.^[7]

He joined the Deaf West Theatre in 2012 for its production of Cyrano de Bergerac.^[8]

On September 8, 2022, Durant was announced as a contestant on season 31 of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with Britt Stewart.^[9] They reached the semifinals and finished in fifth place.^[10] Durant performed the National Anthem in ASL at Super Bowl LVIII.^[11]

Durant was cast the October 2024 "ASL-infused" revival of American Idiot, presented by Centre Theatre Group and Deaf West Theater, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Green Day's original album release.^[12]

Durant entered a romantic relationship with his Dancing with the Stars partner Britt Stewart in November 2022, shortly after his stint on the competition series ended.^[13] In order to communicate with him, Stewart made the decision to learn ASL.^[14] They got engaged on Christmas Eve 2023 during a hike in Lake Arrowhead, California.^[15] Durant and Stewart were married on August 23, 2025, in Santa Margarita, California.^[16] A number of their friends from the entertainment industry attended the ceremony, including Durant's CODA co-stars Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matlin.^[16]