Reality

Tyra Banks Returning as ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Host, But She Won’t Be Alone

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Tyra Banks is officially back as the Dancing With the Stars host for Season 31, despite rumors to the contrary. While many have assumed Banks would depart the series as it transitions to Disney+ from ABC, that assumption seems to be wrong. Banks’ return was slipped into a Wednesday night story that PEOPLE published. The outlet revealed the model would be back for Season 31 while announcing that she will have a co-host this time around. The co-host in question is a face familiar to Dancing With the Stars fans (or really, any TV fan in general): Alfonso Ribeiro.

Ribeiro is most widely known for his role as Carlton Banks on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and he’s also hosted America’s Funniest Home Videos since 2015. He won Season 19 of the DWTS alongside pro Witney Carson back in 2014. He’s been a regular face on the broadcast ever since, appearing as a trio partner in 2017 and even hosting an episode in place of Tom Bergeron in 2015. 

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“I’m super excited,” Ribeiro told PEOPLE. “For me to be asked now to co-host with Tyra, and be part of the great crew and dancers and friends … to be able to be on stage with them and to be part of that family again, is quite special for me. I mean, these dancers are friends of mine at this point now. We really do all hang out together, and talk outside of that show.

“My goal is to bring back a sense of the happy and the fun, and the family atmosphere, that this show has always felt like for me. I want to become friends with all of the contestants this year, and allow myself to kind of be able to really just sit and talk with them. And after their dance, I want to get honest, and true feelings from them and make people laugh and make people smile again. I feel like sometimes it gets a little serious and while it needs to be that also, it also needs to be light and fun and cheery.”

Banks and Ribeiro teaming up for the live dance competition will also serve as a Fresh Prince reunion of sorts. Banks starred in eight episodes of the NBC sitcom’s fourth season. She played Jackie Ames, a childhood friend of Will Smith’s lead character who moves out to California, becoming a love interest for him in the process.

Ribeiro’s hiring comes at a pivotal point for DWTS. The ousting of Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews as co-hosts left a bad taste in many fans’ mouths back in 2020. Banks’ run as the new host has not gone smoothly, with many fans critical of her style of hosting. The show will also attempt to keep its audience (and gain new viewers) while leaving ABC for Disney+. Furthermore, DWTS Season 31 will presumably be Disney+‘s first full attempt at live-streamed content, which will surely come with some hiccups. With Ribeiro coming aboard as previous showrunner Conrad Green is also returning, it seems like producers want to smooth out some of the rough patches ahead.