--- title: Gymnast Known for Whip Nae Nae on Ellen DeGeneres Show description: UCLA gymnast performs routine that incorporates the Whip Nae Nae and the Dab on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. canonical: https://time.com/4228278/gymnast-ucla-whip-nae-nae-ellen/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-17T22:46:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:30:12.451Z og:title: Gymnast Known for 'Whip Nae Nae' Routine Performs on Ellen og:description: Watch her flip. Watch her Nae Nae og:url: https://time.com/4228278/gymnast-ucla-whip-nae-nae-ellen/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Gymnast Known for 'Whip Nae Nae' Routine Performs on Ellen twitter:description: Watch her flip. Watch her Nae Nae twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Gymnast Known for 'Whip Nae Nae' Routine Performs on _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_ > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Feb 17, 2016 10:46 PM UTC  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Feb 17, 2016 10:46 PM UTC UCLA gymnast [Sophina DeJesus](http://time.com/4213627/ucla-gymnast-sophina-dejesus-dance-routine/), 21, performed an encore of the floor routine that went viral on social media on _The Ellen DeGeneres Show_ Wednesday_._ Her Feb. 6 routine, in a competition against Utah, garnered attention for her dance moves and because she incorporated aspects of the dance in rapper Silentó’s music video “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” and “the dab,” (moves made famous by athletes like Carolina Panthers quarterback [Cam Newton](http://time.com/4207376/super-bowl-2016-cam-newton-touchdown-celebration-dance-moves/)). DeJesus told Ellen that she worked with her sister, a fellow dancer, to put together the routine so she could close our her senior year with a “bang.” And looks like she did just that, since footage of her moves, which helped UCLA beat its rival by 0.025 of a point, has been viewed nearly over 40 million times on Facebook and YouTube. During a [commercial break](http://ellentube.com/videos/0-77fkiklx/), actor Stephen “tWitch” Boss, a regular on Ellen’s program, tried his best to copy the viral floor routine with DeJesus and her UCLA gymnastics teammates. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4228278/gymnast-ucla-whip-nae-nae-ellen/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4228278/gymnast-ucla-whip-nae-nae-ellen/"},"headline":"Gymnast Known for 'Whip Nae Nae' Routine Performs on The Ellen DeGeneres Show","datePublished":"2016-02-17T22:46:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:30:12.451Z","description":"Watch her flip. Watch her Nae Nae","url":"https://time.com/4228278/gymnast-ucla-whip-nae-nae-ellen/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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