It’s no secret Tom Bergeron was not happy about Sean Spicer joining the cast of Dancing With the Stars Season 28. The host of the beloved ABC reality competition series opened up about his wish the show could have kept politics out of the season, and it seems the pair is on the same page.
Spicer revealed to press after the season premiere he ran into Bergeron backstage before the premiere.
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“We bumped into each other in the hallway,” the former White House Press Secretary told Us Weekly. “It was a quick pass by, but I don’t think I’ve had a chance [to talk to him]. I mean, same thing with Erin [Andrews]. I saw the judges just real quick, but this really was more about us getting a chance to rehearse.”
The premiere unveiled the politician was paired up with pro Lindsay Arnold for the season, with the dancer saying during the pre-taped package before their first dance number that she looked forward to forming her own opinions about Spicer after the controversy surrounding his casting.
The duo danced to a Spice Girls song in the Season 28 premiere, getting a score of 12 from the judges, beating only Lamar Odom who had the lowest score of the night.
When talking about the controversy surrounding his casting, Spicer said he is focusing on dancing.
“You go with the flow. I’m going to go out here and have the best time I can,” he said after the premiere. “It’s a free country. If you want to support me, great. If not, good. But I’m gonna have a great time.”
Bergeron was joined by a group of outspoken celebrities and fans of the show who lashed out at news he would be featured on the new season of the dancing competition series. The host tweeted after the announcement he had previously told a producer of the show he wanted the season to be a “joyful respite from our exhausting political climate and free of inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations.” He added he was blindsided when the news broke of the casting.
“Tom said he wanted to keep politics out of the show. I hope, um, I hope we do,” Spicer told the outlet. “I think we share that in common.”
He continued, “I hope at the end of the season… Tom looks back [and] says, ‘Hey, this show is an opportunity to show the rest of America that we can bring people together, have a unifying night and put everything away for one night if it’s just two hours and really enjoy each others’ company no matter what our backgrounds and beliefs are on particular policies.”
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
