Tom Bergeron is heading back to the ballroom. The longtime host of “Dancing With the Stars” will return on the 20th anniversary show, set for November 11. Additionally, many original pro dancers who were part of the series are set to make an appearance.
In July 2020, Bergeron and co-host Erin Andrews exited the show; he had been part of the competition show since its 2005 debut, leading it for 15 years and nearly 450 episodes. At the time, he announced the news on X (then Twitter), writing, “Just informed @DancingABC will be continuing without me. It’s been an incredible 15 year run and the most unexpected gift of my career. I’m grateful for that and for the lifelong friendships made. That said, now what am I supposed to do with all of these glitter masks?”
In the years that followed, Bergeron has spoken out about what happened behind the scenes leading up to his ouster, claiming he had been very vocal about not wanting a political figure on the show and was blindsided by the casting of Sean Spicer, President Donald Trump’s former press secretary.
“My phone started blowing up [when Spicer was announced]. People were outraged,” he said on Cheryl Burke’s podcast in 2023. “At that moment, I knew, this was probably my last season. Because of that one betrayal. Because I’d been lied to by people who were in charge. Up until that point, there were people of character there.”
He added, “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.”
Tyra Banks took over hosting duties beginning with Season 29 and Alfonso Ribeiro joined in Season 31. The next season, Banks exited and was replaced by Julianne Hough; Ribeiro and Hough have been co-hosting the hit dance competition since Season 32.
The current season of “Dancing With the Stars” has broken audience and voting records week after week, with “Wicked” night gaining 6.6 million total viewers, up 11% over the emotional Dedication Night the week before, and a 1.38 rating with adults 18-49. This makes “DWTS” the first fall show in 34 years, since Nielsen’s inception in 1991, to grow its audience for five straight weeks following premiere. Fan voting also hit a new high with 53.10 million votes cast.
“Dancing With the Stars” airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu.