"Dancing with the Stars" Host Tom Bergeron to Exit ABC Reality Competition
by Peter White
July 13, 2020


Tom Bergeron will not be returning to host the 29th season of "Dancing with the Stars". The long-time host, who has been on the show since 2005 and over 400 episodes, revealed the news on social media.

He called the show the “most unexpected gift of my career.”

https://deadline.com/2020/07/dancing-with-the-stars-host-tom-bergeron-to-exit-1202984816/







Erin Andrews Follows Tom Bergeron Out as ABC Takes "Dancing with the Stars" in a "New Creative Direction"
by Michael Ausiello
July 13, 2020


"Dancing With the Stars" is cleaning house. On the heels of longtime host Tom Bergeron‘s shocking announcement that he will be leaving ahead of Season 29, ABC is now confirming that co-host Erin Andrews has also been let go.

In a joint statement, ABC and BBC Studios, which produces the series, said: “Tom Bergeron will forever be part of the Dancing with the Stars family. As we embark on a new creative direction, he departs the show with our sincerest thanks and gratitude for his trademark wit and charm that helped make this show a success.

Erin will also not be returning, and we appreciate all that she brought to the ballroom. Fans have been rooting for her since she originally competed as a contestant back in 2010, and her signature sense of humor has become a hallmark of the show.”

https://tvline.com/2020/07/13/erin-andrews-leaving-dancing-with-the-stars-season-29-dwts/

Budget cuts?

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/15/entertainment/tyra-banks-dancing-with-the-stars-host/index.html

Tyra Banks to join 'Dancing with the Stars' as a host and executive producer

By Joe Sutton, CNN

Updated 8:02 AM ET, Wed July 15, 2020

Businesswoman and supermodel Tyra Banks can now add host of "Dancing with the Stars" to her portfolio.

Banks will be not only be the new host, but an executive producer, according to a news release from ABC obtained by CNN.

"I've been a fan of 'DWTS' since its beginning ... The fun mixed with raw emotion, seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones, the sizzling dance performances ... it's always transported me to my days of turning it up 10 notches on the catwalk," Banks said in the news release.

"Tom has set a powerful stage, and I'm excited to continue the legacy and put on my executive producer and hosting hats."

Longtime host Tom Bergeron on Monday broke the news that he will not be returning to the dancing competition show after 15 years in his role.

Co-host Erin Andrews will also not be returning.

The decision comes as ABC and BBC Productions, which produce the series, say they are heading in "a new creative direction."

Bergeron had been host of "Dancing with the Stars" since the show began in 2005. Andrews had hosted since 2014.

Banks started her career modeling as a teen and landed covers of nearly every fashion magazine. In 1993 she signed a contract with CoverGirl and went on to become a Victoria's Secret Angel. She dabbled in acting, starring on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and eventually started her own production company, which went on to produce her hit series, "America's Next Top Model."

I think “DWTS” has past its peak. This shakeup is probably an attempt to refresh the show while cutting back production costs.

I think “DWTS” has past its peak. This shakeup is probably an attempt to refresh the show while cutting back production costs.

Tyra Banks has hinted at changes to the show according to an article.

Tyra Banks has hinted at changes to the show according to an article.

Is Tyra the new “boss” of DWTS?

Is Tyra the new “boss” of DWTS?

She’s the executive producer, yes.

Good luck to Tyra on her DWTS gig. That Mean Erin Andrews can focus more on her NFL on FOX gig on a full time basis.

What “changes” are coming? It’s a judged dancing competition, what’s going to be so different?

What “changes” are coming? It’s a judged dancing competition, what’s going to be so different?

Instead of Tom Bergeron saying “Up next, the MyPillow guy and some dancer”, Tyra Banks will be saying it.

Well I won't be watching Dancing With The Stars ever again.

Ed.

Why has Tyra Banks been struggling on Dancing with the Stars? (https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-is-tyra-banks-flailing-so-hard-on-dancing-with-the-stars)

Banks flubbing the bottom two (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBZDI723PQQ) on Monday night gave more ammunition to her detractors, who compared the mistake -- which she apologized for and blamed on both the control room and her notecards -- to Steve Harvey's Miss Universe debacle. "Ever since she took over as host of the beloved, long-running competition show, fans have been complaining about Banks’ on-stage antics, and more specifically her mistakes," says Laura Bradley. "The vitriol has been harsh—which might be why as soon as Banks realized something was wrong on Monday night, she struggled to improvise her way through it." Bradley adds: "Dancing with the Stars fans have made their disdain for Banks’ performance plain since Day One of the season, and Monday’s 'Steve Harvey' moment only sealed their disapproval. The supermodel’s insistence on starting each show by strutting onto the stage, turning the ballroom into her personal catwalk, has not endeared her to many—and neither have her stiff banter, her inability to ad-lib, or the moments she’s fumbled contestants’ names. Perhaps even more important, fans really miss longtime host Tom Bergeron and his former co-host Erin Andrews, who joined in 2014. DWTS producers let both hosts go after last season citing “creative differences”—and now, they seem to be avoiding questions about whether Bergeron was fired for criticizing Sean Spicer’s casting (https://tvline.com/2020/09/30/dancing-with-the-stars-tyra-banks-host-change-explained/) last season. Whatever the reason for Bergeron and Andrews’ exit, fans have been begging DWTS to bring them back for weeks...Some of Banks’ issues on DWTS have been out of her control: Fans likely would have taken a beat to warm to just about any replacement for their beloved hosts, and the pre-recorded cheers the show has been using this season to fake a live audience despite the pandemic often drown Banks out, especially during the show’s introductions. (I’m begging someone, anyone, to tweak those audio levels!) Still, it’s undeniable: Banks is not exactly thriving. And the 'why' might be a little more complicated than a botched line here and there." Bradley wonders if Banks' reputation has taken a hit following the May backlash that made her out to the villain of America's Next Top Model (https://www.vox.com/2020/5/8/21249408/tyra-banks-antm-backlash). "It’s unclear how invested Banks’ DWTS haters are in her broader narrative as a celebrity," says Bradley. "It’s very possible they just hate her anecdotes and want their show to eliminate the right people at the right time. Either way, though, it’s clear the TV tides have, at least for now, officially turned against Tyra Banks." ALSO: Tyra Banks receives support from Dancing showrunner Andrew Llinares, Bruno Tonioli (https://www.etonline.com/dwts-team-applauds-tyra-banks-after-shows-elimination-mishap-this-was-not-her-fault-exclusive) and Carrie Ann Inaba (https://etcanada.com/news/699615/carrie-ann-inaba-defends-tyra-banks-after-dwts-screwup/).

Dancing with the Stars boss on firing Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews: The show needed to evolve (https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/dwts-ep-why-tom-bergeron-erin-andrews-were-replaced/)

“I think it’s all about evolution," showrunner Andrew Llinares told reporters today. "I think any show like this that has been on many, many seasons needs to continue to evolve. I think changing the host was all about evolution, it was about making the show feel fresh, making it feel new (and) kind of make it reach out — maybe to a new audience as well, as well as the audience that’s been there for years.” Llinares also thought it was a good idea to change the format to have only one host. “I think it’s really refreshed the pace of the show,” he said. “There’s a real danger, when a show’s been on for a long time, that the audience almost gets bored of the rhythm of it. It’s changed the rhythm of the show in a really exciting way (to have Tyra Banks hosting solo). Tyra’s doing an amazing, amazing job.”

The show runner said DWTS needed to “evolve”? More like a devolution, trying to wring some more life out of a fading franchise by cutting the budget.

Tom Bergeron says he won't return to Dancing with the Stars: "This train has left the station" (https://www.tvinsider.com/964434/tom-bergeron-dancing-with-the-stars-tv-life-after/)

"When people say, 'I'm not gonna watch until you're back,' I say, 'Well, there's really no "until" here," Bergeron, who was dropped from the ABC reality show over the summer, tells TV Guide magazine. "This train has left the station. I appreciate the sentiment, and I don't hold it against anybody if they (watch)."

Tom Bergeron on DWTS Firing (I Wasn't Surprised), Admits Season 28 "Was Not the Show That I Loved"
by Rebecca Iannucci
October 12, 2021


"Dancing With the Stars" fans may have felt blindsided by news of Tom Bergeron‘s firing in July 2020… but Bergeron himself did not.

On a recent episode of the "Bob Saget’s Here for You" podcast, Bergeron — who abruptly left the ABC competition series, along with co-host Erin Andrews, after Season 28 — spoke more candidly about the circumstances of his exit, revealing that he “kinda knew” it was coming.




Bergeron traced his eventual departure back to Summer 2019, just a few weeks before "Dancing" returned for Season 28. Around that time, Bergeron said, there were “personnel changes behind the scenes” at the show, “and those people and I did not see eye-to-eye about how best to present the show,” particularly when it came to casting political personalities.

Per Bergeron, he felt that "Dancing" should be “an oasis, for two hours every week, from all of the nonsense and the divisiveness going on right now, and let’s not put political people in there.”




Thus, when former White House press secretary Sean Spicer was added to the Season 28 roster, Bergeron felt “quite caught by surprise and taken aback and a bit misled,” particularly after the producers he’d spoken with seemed to agree that politics should stay out of the ballroom.

At the time, Bergeron voiced his displeasure about the casting on Twitter, and as he told Saget, “We differed on that, I was public about that, and I don’t think that sat well with the producer or the network.




Bergeron went on to say that by the time Season 28 ended, “the show that I left was not the show that I loved,” and because “it was kind of obvious that we were butting heads” behind the scenes, he saw his firing coming.

Still, the former host said he looks back on his 15-year run “with really great fondness for the vast majority of it,” and he encouraged longtime fans to continue tuning in despite his absence.

“I want people to still watch it and support [the cast and crew] and understand that, sure, it’s different, but there’s still very, very talented people who are going to be on your screens,” he said. “I wasn’t surprised that was my last season, so there was no blue period. Actually, I think Erin and I had more fun being fired than virtually anybody.”

https://tvline.com/2021/10/12/tom-bergeron-leaves-dancing-with-the-stars-fired-reaction/

Tom Bergeron on DWTS Firing (I Wasn't Surprised), Admits Season 28 "Was Not the Show That I Loved"
by Rebecca Iannucci
October 12, 2021


"Dancing With the Stars" fans may have felt blindsided by news of Tom Bergeron‘s firing in July 2020… but Bergeron himself did not.

On a recent episode of the "Bob Saget’s Here for You" podcast, Bergeron — who abruptly left the ABC competition series, along with co-host Erin Andrews, after Season 28 — spoke more candidly about the circumstances of his exit, revealing that he “kinda knew” it was coming.




Bergeron traced his eventual departure back to Summer 2019, just a few weeks before "Dancing" returned for Season 28. Around that time, Bergeron said, there were “personnel changes behind the scenes” at the show, “and those people and I did not see eye-to-eye about how best to present the show,” particularly when it came to casting political personalities.

Per Bergeron, he felt that "Dancing" should be “an oasis, for two hours every week, from all of the nonsense and the divisiveness going on right now, and let’s not put political people in there.”




Thus, when former White House press secretary Sean Spicer was added to the Season 28 roster, Bergeron felt “quite caught by surprise and taken aback and a bit misled,” particularly after the producers he’d spoken with seemed to agree that politics should stay out of the ballroom.

At the time, Bergeron voiced his displeasure about the casting on Twitter, and as he told Saget, “We differed on that, I was public about that, and I don’t think that sat well with the producer or the network.




Bergeron went on to say that by the time Season 28 ended, “the show that I left was not the show that I loved,” and because “it was kind of obvious that we were butting heads” behind the scenes, he saw his firing coming.

Still, the former host said he looks back on his 15-year run “with really great fondness for the vast majority of it,” and he encouraged longtime fans to continue tuning in despite his absence.

“I want people to still watch it and support [the cast and crew] and understand that, sure, it’s different, but there’s still very, very talented people who are going to be on your screens,” he said. “I wasn’t surprised that was my last season, so there was no blue period. Actually, I think Erin and I had more fun being fired than virtually anybody.”

https://tvline.com/2021/10/12/tom-bergeron-leaves-dancing-with-the-stars-fired-reaction/

Former House speaker Tom DeLay was a DWTS contestant years before Sean Spicer.

Tom Bergeron tweets "Karma's a b****" after Dancing with the Stars' executive producer is ousted after five seasons (https://www.etonline.com/tom-bergeron-shadily-reacts-to-dancing-with-the-stars-executive-producer-andrew-llinares-exit)

Andrew Llinares is out after joining Dancing as its boss for the all-athlete Season 26 through the most recent Season 30, according to Deadline (https://deadline.com/2022/03/dancing-with-the-stars-executive-producer-andrew-llinares-1234981218/). Llinares oversaw the exits of longtime Dancing host Bergeron and co-host Erin Andrews in July 2020 ahead of Season 29. Bergeron's replacement, Tyra Banks, has polarized viewers and one. Dancing pro says the massive changes has turned Dancing into the "MTV music awards." Asked to respond to Llinares' exit, Bergeron tweeted "Karma’s a b****" (https://twitter.com/Tom_Bergeron/status/1504573489960742930) with a winking emoji. Dancing is expected to be renewed for Season 31.

Dancing with the Stars is poised to bring back original showrunner Conrad Green (https://deadline.com/2022/06/dancing-with-the-stars-exec-producer-1235036965/)

Green, who helped pitch Dancing to ABC and served as its showrunner for its first 18 seasons, is "in advanced talks" to return as executive producer, reports Deadline's Lynette Rice, who adds: "Deadline hears that some of the DWTS pros and judges already were told about Green’s possible return and are elated about the news." Former Dancing host Tom Bergeron reacted to the news (https://twitter.com/Tom_Bergeron/status/1532149713008332800) with a hand-clap emoji, calling Green "Lazarus 2.0."

DWTS Adds Alfonso Ribeiro to Co-Host with Tyra Banks in Move to Disney+
by Dave Nemetz
July 14, 2022


Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince) is joining "Dancing with the Stars" as a co-host alongside Tyra Banks as the long-running celebrity dance competition moves from ABC to Disney+ this fall, TVLine has learned.

Banks returns for her third season as host and executive producer, and the judging panel will return intact as well, with Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough all coming back for the inaugural Disney+ season.

Ribeiro won the Mirrorball trophy as a celeb competitor along with pro partner Witney Carson back in Season 19.




“Dancing with the Stars has been such an important part of my life for so many years, and I am ecstatic to officially re-join this tight-knit family as co-host,” Ribeiro said in a statement. “Tyra and I have a longstanding friendship that I hope will resonate with all of the fans at home as we kick off this new season on Disney+.”

Banks added: “I’ve known Alfonso since I was 19 years old, and he always puts a smile on my face whenever I see him. Having such a fun-loving, longtime friend as co-host warms my heart. Plus, he’s won the competition before, so he knows exactly what the stars are going through. Bantering back and forth with him live is going to be so much fun!”

https://tvline.com/2022/07/14/dancing-with-the-stars-hosts-alfonso-ribeiro-tyra-banks-dwts-judges-disney-plus/