‘DWTS’: ABC Addresses Firings, Taking Show in ‘New Creative Direction’

In majorly shocking news, Dancing With the Stars has fired hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews from the program. The news broke on Monday night, with Bergeron confirming the report himself with a statement on Twitter. ABC and BBC Studios, which produces the competition, released a statement about the recent firings, saying that they are grateful for all of the work that Bergeron and Andrews put into the show during their respective hosting tenures.

In their statement, they revealed that the reason behind Bergeron and Andrews being fired is due to the new “creative direction” that they’re planning on taking for the show. “Tom Bergeron will forever be part of the Dancing with the Stars family,” their statement began, per TV Line. “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. Erin will also not be returning, and we appreciate all that she brought to the ballroom. Fans have been rooting for her since she originally competed as a contestant back in 2010, and her signature sense of humor has become a hallmark of the show.”

Bergeron initially addressed the news himself on Twitter, which sent DWTS fans into a tizzy. He wrote that he was “just informed” that he would not be coming back to the ABC series after hosting the show for the past 15 years. Bergeron wrote, “Just informed @DancingABC 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?” Shortly after he posted the message, a fan commented to ask whether him leaving means that he will be a contestant on the show in the future, to which he replied with, “Um… no.” Andrews has not yet publicly commented on the news.

Even though the coronavirus pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works regarding television production, DWTS is set to come back during the 2020-2021 TV season. The show previously produced two cycles of the series during a single television season. However, the network has since changed things up and moved DWTS to one cycle per season. The last season of the show aired from September to November on ABC and ended with Bachelorette star Hannah Brown taking home the win.