Former Dancing With the Stars host Tom Bergeron is sharing more facts about why he was fired from the popular series. Along with co-host Erin Andrews, Tom was let go from DWTS in July 2020, ahead of the show's 29th season. Tom hosted seasons 1-28 and was later joined by Erin from seasons 18-28. Tom's exit proved to be a controversial decision. Most DWTS fans were very upset when he was fired, and many still miss his humor, as well as his chemistry with the dancers and judges. Tom has insisted he'll never return to the show, even if he is invited back.
Following Tom and Erin's exits, Tyra Banks was immediately revealed as the new Dancing With the Stars host, and the supermodel also got an executive producer credit. This proved to be an unpopular decision. Now, in her second season as the DWTS host, Tyra's experienced several on-air blunders, including a moment last season when she read the wrong names of contestants who were in danger of elimination. With DWTS season 30 in full swing, many viewers still wish that Tom was hosting.
Tom was recently a guest on Bob Saget's podcast, Bob Saget's Here For You. He said that DWTS producers let him go because they were "butting heads." He added, "the show that I left was not the show that I loved.” One of Tom's tweets, which promoted the podcast appearance, confirmed that he didn't leave on his own terms: "I had to leave. It's really awkward if one sticks around after being fired." Now, two years after his departure, Tom has definitely moved on from the show. He also explained that he chose to keep quiet for so long because he didn't want to seem self-absorbed. Tom reminded listeners that he had two network shows airing simultaneously for over a decade, and expressed gratitude for his fame and fortune. See a cute (and recent) clip of Tom and his dog below:
He previously opened up to talk show Vicki Abelson about his relationship with the producers: "I was at a point in my life and career where I didn't have to just shut up and take it. I decided to go public with some concerns I had at that time and I think that set the stage for it. I kind of saw it coming." One example of Tom's concerns was DWTS producers' decision to book Sean Spicer as a season 28 dancer. Tom felt that viewers wanted an escape from politics and even revealed publicly that he discussed the matter with the series' execs. At the time, Tom acknowledged the producers' right to make whatever decisions they felt were best for the show, but Tom didn't know that they would decide to remove him from the equation.
While Tom seems to be starting fresh, fans are still frustrated that he's not hosting DWTS. Perhaps his exit is to blame for the show's decreasing popularity. Ratings have dropped significantly since Tom was co-hosting the series. Some fans have petitioned for Tom to return and replace Tyra. Tom has ruled out this possibility on several occasions. If there's bad blood between him and the show's producers, it's unlikely that they'll want to re-hire him. While all of the original judges are still on the panel, changing even a single element of a successful show can be risky. Now that the show is airing just once a year, viewers wonder how much longer Dancing With the Stars will stay on the air.
Sources: Bob Saget's Here For You, Tom Bergeron/Twitter, Vicki Abelson/YouTube
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