‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pros Maksim and Val Chmerkovskiy Weigh in on Tom Bergeron, Erin Andrews Firing (Exclusive)

Dancing with the Stars fans were shocked when news broke last year that Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews would not be returning to the hit ABC dance show and would be instead replaced by Tyra Banks. While Banks brought a new flair to the competition, the news was so abrupt that by the time the next season rolled around in 2020, fans felt as if they didn’t have enough time to process it all. Dancing with the Stars alums Maksim Chmerkovskiy and his brother Val Chmerkovskiy — who fans are still eagerly awaiting the news on whether he’ll return as a pro or not — shared their thoughts on the Bergeron firing ahead of their new tour Maks & Val: Stripped Down in an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com.

“I think I’m going to say it,” Maks said. “Is Tom someone that I think was a staple of the show? Yes. Dare I say that I also was a staple of the show and, at some point, may or may not have been thought of as an irreplaceable element? Yeah. […] The reality is, Season 30 is coming up. I haven’t been on for a while and it didn’t get any worse in that department. So I think times keep moving and we keep moving it.” The 41-year-old continued to say that he’s a “fan” of the show and wants to see it continue and evolve.

“In that sense, I love Erin and Tom; we speak. Erin and I communicate still and she’s very happy, but this was a great moment for all of us,” he added. Maks left the show in 2018 after having dance since Season 2 with a small hiatus in between. His brother Val still competes as a pro and had nothing but great things to say about the change and Banks as the show’s new host.

“I mean, look, as a person, [Tyra] is A-plus-plus. Behind the cameras, she treats everybody with love and respect and I think also we’ve yet to know a lot of Tyra because this was also a Zoom type of season,” Val explained before noting how everyone’s meetings were via Zoom, but says the “magic in the show” is off-camera. “I think Tyra did a great job. I’m excited to see the job that she does next season after having the opportunity to actually have a real season.” It’s still unclear at the moment if Val will return, although fans are feeling strongly that he will. As for his brother, Maks may be done as a pro on the show, but he did say he would absolutely return as a judge if asked. Dancing with the Stars Season 30 is set to premiere Monday, Sept. 20.