Alfonso Ribeiro and Tyra Banks to Co-Host "Dancing with the Stars" for Disney+

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Originally Posted by JamesG

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-be...ired-reaction/

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

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Tom Bergeron tweets "Karma's a b****" after Dancing with the Stars' executive producer is ousted after five seasons

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. 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****" with a winking emoji. Dancing is expected to be renewed for Season 31.

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Dancing with the Stars is poised to bring back original showrunner Conrad Green

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 with a hand-clap emoji, calling Green "Lazarus 2.0."

[JamesG]

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/dancin...s-disney-plus/