Washington DC [US], November 5 : The longtime host of 'Dancing With The Stars' Tom Bergeron is set to return on the 20th anniversary show which is set for November 11, reported Variety.
In July 2020, Bergeron and co-host Erin Andrews exited the show. Bergeron had been part of the competition show since its 2005 debut, leading it for 15 years and nearly 450 episodes.
In the years that followed, according to the outlet, 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, as quoted by Variety.
"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," added Burgeron.
He added, "I wanted the viewers to know this was a step too far for 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.
According to Variety, the current season of 'Dancing With the Stars' has broken audience and voting records week after week, with 'Wicked' night garnering 6.6 million total viewers, up 11% from the emotional Dedication Night the week before, and a 1.38 rating among 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.
'Dancing With the Stars' airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu.