Tom Bergeron on Unleashing His Anger at “DWTS” After 'They Screwed Me' with a 'Betrayal' of a Casting

"At that moment, I knew this is probably my last season," Bergeron said his relationship with the executives after the controversial casting

Tom Bergeron is sharing the moment he knew his time on Dancing with the Stars had come to an end.

The television personality, who hosted the series from 2005 to 2020, gave context to his sudden departure from the ballroom competition during the latest installment of his extended chat with former DWTS pro Cheryl Burke on her Sex, Lies and Spray Tans podcast.

Back in 2019, Bergeron claimed that Dancing with the Stars executives sought out lunches to discuss the upcoming season. With the United States headed into a contentious election year, he recommended that the execs refrain from casting any politicians from either party to provide viewers with a “wonderful escape” from the state of the country.

Though they agreed, Bergeron recalled getting a “phone call from the showrunner and another producer” who ran down the list of the celebrities and public figures set to compete on the show.

“And this former showrunner says to me, ‘You might want to sit down for this last one.’ I said ‘Why?’ And then they told me who it was,” he continued. Alluding to ex-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer as “the former press guy for [then-President Donald] Trump," Bergeron recalled that "I said, ‘Guys, this is exactly what we said we wouldn't do. Don't go there. This is, you know, not the right time, play to our strengths, be the show that gives people a break from all this bulls---.”

Related: Sean Spicer Says He Expected Backlash for Joining 'DWTS' : 'I Can Take a Couple Tweets'

Attempting to compromise, the television personality suggested he “take the season off” to which the showrunner and the producer offered to “let you out of your contract if you want.”

“That's how strongly they felt,” Bergeron said, adding that it “really pissed me off.”

PEOPLE has reached out to representatives for Dancing with the Stars.

Related: Trump Approves of Sean Spicer Joining 'DWTS' — Unlike a Lot of Other People (Including Tom Bergeron)

Related: 'DWTS' Host Tom Bergeron Slams Sean Spicer Casting, Says Show Should Be an 'Oasis' from Politics

Bergeron, now 68, recalled feeling “furious” but tried to be “Switzerland” — that is, before his “temper kicked in,” which he admits he knew “wasn’t going to be pretty.”

He decided to issue a statement in response to Spicer’s casting to “let people know that they f---ing lied to me.”

He recounted, “So I wrote the statement that I wrote, that did not name anybody, that did not name a political party,” he continued. “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.”

When Spicer, now 52, was announced on Good Morning America, Bergeron received countless messages and the public was outraged by the decision.

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

Related: Tom Bergeron Reacts to Departure of 'DWTS' Executive Producer: 'Karma's a B—'

Knowing that his statement would be charged, the former game show host got advice from a lawyer who read it back and claimed it was a “well thought-out perspective” and didn’t “target anybody” but said it would put a “bullseye on your back.”

When Burke, 39, asked if the network execs knew of his intentions to release the statement, he stated that “they didn't deserve to know.”

“They had screwed me. I'm gonna screw them,” he said of his mindset. “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.”

Related: Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews Exit Dancing with the Stars as Show Heads in 'New Creative Direction'

Bergeron shared the news of his departure on X (formerly known as Twitter) in July 2020, writing at the time that he had been "informed @DancingABC will be continuing without me."

During an appearance on the late Bob Saget's Here for You podcast in October 2021, Bergeron admitted he "wasn't surprised" to be "fired" from DWTS.

"In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved," he said. "So at the end of the season that turned out to be my last season, I kind of knew. I took everything out of my dressing room that I really wanted. ... It was kind of obvious that we were kind of butting heads [behind the scenes]. It wasn't a pleasant [experience]."

He added, "I wasn't surprised that that was my last season, so there was no blue period. Actually, I think Erin [Andrews] and I had more fun being fired than virtually anybody."

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Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC and Disney+.

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