'DWTS' Pro Artem Chigvintsev Speaks Out About Rumors of Tyra Banks Leaving the Show

Dancing With the Stars may have celebrated its milestone 30th season last fall but the show is still making history with its upcoming installment. After news broke that Dancing With the Stars is saying goodbye to ABC, its longtime home, rumors started swirling about other changes, including the departure of host Tyra Banks.

On April 8, it was announced that Dancing With the Stars has been renewed for two more seasons and will be moving from ABC to Disney+ this fall. Though judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough expressed their excitement for the show’s next chapter, the rest of the crew has been silent. Like Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli, Tyra hasn’t posted about the show’s latest news on social media. But now, some fans are thinking that it’s because she might be leaving Dancing With the Stars.

Shortly after details about the Disney+ move were shared, The U.S. Sun reported on April 12 that the former America’s Next Top Model star won’t be returning to the dancing competition series. "There is no official decision on who will be hosting next season but it doesn't look like Tyra will be back," a source told the outlet. "Which would be a network decision, not her decision."

To be clear, this information hasn’t been confirmed by the show or Tyra, and according to pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev, it might be some time before there’s clarity about the subject.

Speaking with Us Weekly, Artem opened up about what he's heard going on behind the scenes. In July 2020, Tyra was named Dancing With the Stars’ new solo host for season 29 shortly after Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews were let go. Artem, who has starred on the show for nine seasons since 2014, revealed that he knows as much as the public does about the ongoing hosting rumors.

“As far as the show goes, the only information we received of it is we are going to be on a different platform, but as far as like, who’s going to be part of it and even ourselves as dancers, I’m not sure,” he told the magazine.

That said, the pro partner noted that Dancing With the Stars season 31 is still months away and news could be shared later this year. As fans know, the full cast of Dancing With the Stars is usually announced in early September right before the new season premieres. If the show follows a similar timeline this year, fans should know more around late summer, including if Artem will also return to the ballroom.

Either way, Artem reiterated the fact that there are many other people behind the camera that are involved in major decisions like this one, and the cast doesn’t know the scoop right away. “I feel like there’s a lot of time ahead of us right now,” he added. “So, we haven’t got any information on that. We’re definitely not the first people to find out what’s going on.”

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