Tom Bergeron Says Dancing With the Stars Will Continue Without Him
After 15 years, Tom Bergeron will no longer be hosting Dancing with the Stars, and neither will cohost Erin Andrews.
The long-time host tweeted on Monday that he will no longer be a part of the show.
"Just informed [Dancing With the Stars] will be continuing without me. It's been an incredible 15 year run and the most unexpected gift of my career," Bergeron wrote. "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?"
ABC later released a statement, along with BBC Studios.
"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," the statement reads. "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."
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He did not elaborate on his exit, and ABC has not yet commented.
Bergeron has hosted the ABC reality competition show since its premiere in 2005, with a variety of cohosts including Lisa Canning, Samantha Harris, Brooke Burke-Charvet. Erin Andrews, best known as a sports journalist and ESPN sportscaster, joined as cohost in 2014.
Before and during DWTS, Bergeron was also known as the host of Hollywood Squares and America's Funniest Home Videos. He was also unmasked as the Taco in the most recent season of The Masked Singer.
Currently, the future of Dancing With the Stars is slightly uncertain. The show was renewed for a 29th season set to premiere this fall, but most productions are still shut down due to the pandemic, and no announcements have been made as to how DWTS could film safely. The show does have a spot in ABC's upcoming primetime schedule on Mondays at 8 p.m., but no announcements have been made as to how it could film safely, since close personal contact between contestants and pros (and even other contestants) is a major part of the competition.
ABC is about to go into production on The Bachelorette, with plans to air that in the fall. Contestants and crew are all sequestered at a single resort and will have to take multiple tests to make sure they don't have COVID-19, along with regular temperature checks for the duration of filming.
Dancing With the Stars, in its current format, airs live each week, which would make similar filming in quarantine a lot more difficult, though the show will be going in a "new creative direction," per the above statement.
We do know one thing about the season, however: Kaitlyn Bristowe will be a contestant. Chris Harrison offered her a spot during her appearance on The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons Ever, and she happily accepted.
Dancing With the Stars will soon return to ABC.
