Tom Bergeron Gets Candid About His 'DWTS' Firing: 'They F—ing Lied to Me'
Bergeron and 'Dancing With the Stars' execs butted heads over booking political figures on the show.
Tom Bergeron recently opened up about his firing from Dancing With the Stars and recalled an incident where the show's producer "f—ing lied to me." During an interview with former DWTS pro dancer Cheryl Burke for her Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast, Bergeron shared about a time when he strongly advocated for keeping political figures of any kind off the show. He says that show executives agreed with him initially, but then weeks later they told him that Sean Spicer, the ex-White House Press Secretary for the Trump administration, was coming on the show for the upcoming 28th season in 2019.
"So I was furious," Bergeron said. "At one point, I even said, 'How 'bout if I take this season off?' And they said 'Well, we'll let you out of your contract if you want.' That's how strongly they felt about it." He added, "And that really pissed me off. So I said, 'Alright, let me try to be Switzerland here. But I was furious. ... I was at least going to let people know that they f—ing lied to me."
On July 14, 2020, ABC and BBC Studios issued a joint statement announcing that Bergeron — as well as DWTS co-host Erin Andrews — would no longer be with the show. "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 read, as published by Deadline. The news was partnered with the announcement that the show would be moving from ABC to Disney+.
In his first comments after the news was announced, Bergeron offered, "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. 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?"
Andrews echoed the sentiment, adding: "Dancing with the Stars family for 6 memorable seasons." She added that the time she spent on the show "wouldn't have been as special without my loving host Tom Bergeron," as well as "the talented dancers and witty judges." Andrews ended by saying that she will "always cherish my days on that set, even if I wasn't the best at walking in heels." It was subsequently announced that Tyra Banks had taken over as host of Dancing With The Stars, though she too has since exited, with Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough now co-hosting the show together.