Dancing with the Stars: Tom Bergeron Talks About Leaving the ABC Series Following “Betrayal”

(Photo: Jean_Nelson/Depositphotos)

Season 32 of Dancing with the Stars is currently airing on ABC, and former host Tom Bergeron has addressed his exit from the popular dancing competition series. Bergeron had hosted the series since it began in 2005, but he left ahead of season 28. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough currently host the series.

Bergeron revealed that one of the cast choices for the season did not sit well for him, and it ultimately led to him being replaced. He said the following about the ABC series in an appearance on Cheryl Burke’s podcast, per Deadline:

“In the summer of 2019, I had two lunches—one with that showrunner person and another one with his boss. I said, ‘Well look, 2019 is the threshold to an election year in America, we are a very divided country. Just nobody, of any party, don’t go there—just make us the wonderful escape from all that divisiveness for two hours a week.

And then a few weeks later, I get a phone call, and they run down the list of who is going to be on the show, and this former showrunner says to me, ‘You might want to sit down for this last one.’ And then they told me who it was, the former press guy for Trump. I said, ‘Guys, this is exactly what we said we wouldn’t do. Don’t go there. This is not the right time, play to our strengths, be the show that gives people a break from all this bulls–t.”

When he offered to “take the season off,” producers offered to let him out of his contract.  This led Bergeron to release a statement about the show’s decision.

“So I wrote the statement that I wrote, that did not name anybody, that did not name a political party,” he said. “It merely said, ‘I was told certain things when I was asked my opinion, they agreed, and now they’ve thrown a curveball.’ I even went so far as to say it’s their right to do that. They’re the producers of the show, if that’s what they want to do they are entitled to do that. We will have to agree to disagree.

So at that moment, I knew this is probably my last season, because of that one betrayal. Up until that point, there were people of character there.

They had screwed me. I’m gonna screw them. But I wanted the viewers to know this was a step too far to me. This was a step too far on the cusp of an election year. And again, had it been a Democrat, same statement.”

Bergeron also revealed that he would never return to Dancing with the Stars. He said, “Because it’s not the same show, it’s not the same world. I did it for a lot of years, there’s no point. What would I prove?”

What do you think? Were you disappointed by Bergeron’s exit from the Dancing with the Stars series? Have you enjoyed the new hosts of the ABC series?