The original Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron will return to serve guest-judging duties for the 20th anniversary show airing live next Tuesday on ABC/Disney+.
‘See ya Tuesday!’ the 70-year-old silver fox confirmed Wednesday on Instagram.
Tom was famously fired from his 15-year gig hosting the celebrity dance competition in 2020 after voicing his displeasure over producers casting political figures – whether Democratic or Republican – as contestants.
In 2023, Bergeron told Cheryl Burke’s podcast that former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer in 2019 was the final straw: ‘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.’
The two-time Emmy winner was first replaced by America’s Next Top Model creator Tyra Banks then Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum Alfonso Ribeiro, who now co-hosts with pro-dancer Julianne Hough.
‘I’ll tell you, it’s so much fun to watch my friends do the work,’ Tom told TV Insider on Wednesday.
The original Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron will return to serve guest-judging duties for the 20th anniversary show airing live next Tuesday on ABC/Disney+ (pictured September 12)
‘See ya Tuesday!’ the 70-year-old silver fox confirmed Wednesday on Instagram
‘I don’t have to throw to commercials. I don’t have to worry about the timing.’
It was original showrunner Conrad Green who ‘offered an olive leaf’ and convinced Bergeron to return for The 20th Birthday Party featuring a big opening number and ex-champions.
‘I’m happy to say he’s back in that role currently,’ the Massachusetts-born presenter gushed.
‘And boy, has he righted that ship. I mean, wow. The numbers, I texted [executive producer] Deena Katz and I said, “I’m particularly enjoying watching the show beat The Voice.”‘
Indeed, DWTS’ Halloween Night episode amassed 6.74M viewers last week, and fan voting hit a new high with 53.1M votes cast.
Tom has already decided he wants to sit next to judge Bruno Tonioli for the ‘comedic potential’ and he described his own judging style as ‘somewhat loose and unpredictable.’
‘I’m really curious to see what it is the judges are writing all the time,’ Bergeron said.
‘You know, Carrie Ann [Iniba] has a journal that Tolstoy would envy, and Bruno and Derek [Hough] are writing stuff. To me, that’s like texting when you’re driving. Watch the dance. You’ll remember what happened.’
The married father-of-two continued: ‘I’m anticipating that it’s going to be a wonderfully emotional, nostalgic night…I’m just looking forward to being in an environment surrounded by people I really care about on live television, where there’s no second take. It’s my happy place.’
Tom (2-L, pictured in 2005) was famously fired from his 15-year gig hosting the celebrity dance competition in 2020 after voicing his displeasure over producers casting political figures – whether Democratic or Republican – as contestants
In 2023, Bergeron told Cheryl Burke’s podcast that former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (R) in 2019 was the final straw: ‘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’
The two-time Emmy winner was first replaced by America’s Next Top Model creator Tyra Banks then Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum Alfonso Ribeiro (M), who now co-hosts with pro-dancer Julianne Hough (R)
‘I’ll tell you, it’s so much fun to watch my friends do the work,’ Tom told TV Insider on Wednesday. ‘I don’t have to throw to commercials. I don’t have to worry about the timing’
Bergeron has already decided he wants to sit next to judge Bruno Tonioli (R) for the ‘comedic potential’ and he described his own judging style as ‘somewhat loose and unpredictable’
The Massachusetts-born presenter gushed: ‘I’m anticipating that it’s going to be a wonderfully emotional, nostalgic night…I’m just looking forward to being in an environment surrounded by people I really care about on live television, where there’s no second take. It’s my happy place’
Tom currently keeps busy producing and hosting the annual Lights, Camera, Take Action telethon for the Motion Picture and Television Fund.
In July, Bergeron hosted Discovery’s three-episode diver shark-dancing competition, Dancing with Sharks.
And next year, the former GMA anchor and William Shatner will produce and co-star as estranged siblings Jeff and Frank in Pathway Pictures’ holiday-set dramedy Family Tree – according to Deadline.
