‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pros Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy React to Alfonso Ribeiro as Co-Host

Fans of Dancing With the Stars aren’t the only ones excited to have The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum Alfonso Ribeiro join Tyra Banks as co-host. The America’s Next Top Model creator has been hosting solo since 2020, and viewers have been less than welcoming. But Ribeiro, who won the golden trophy while competing in the reality dance competition series in 2014, is a welcomed addition.  Jenna Johnson and Valentin “Val” Chmerkovskiy are excited to have him. “I think Alfonso’s the perfect host, the perfect candidate,” Chmerkovskiy told Daily Pop at the 2022 ESPYS on July 20. “He won the show, so he’s got a lot of experience. We’re all friends,” he added. “He’s got rapport with the cast, and this show is all about family and fun entertainment. I think it belongs on Disney+, so I’m excited for what’s in store.”

The show is moving from ABC to the streaming platform for Season 21. Johnson says it will be “a nice refresh for the show,” adding, “I cannot wait.” The longtime pros haven’t announced if they’ll be returning for the new season. Chmerkovskiy hinted that season 30 may have been his last. The two are busy awaiting the addition of their first child together. The two announced they are expecting on July 15. “We’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time,” Johnson told Daily Pop. “So, the fact that it’s finally here, we are just ecstatic. And I can’t wait for all the challenges, for no sleep, for all of it.”

The couple wed in 2019. They’ve tried to get pregnant for two years but came into fertility struggles. Learning they were expecting was met with both shock and happiness. “We got home [from a trip to Cabo] and about two weeks later I was like, ‘Wait a minute, my boobs are feeling very big and very sore. I haven’t started my period yet.’ So I peed on a stick and immediately it just turned positive,” Johnson told PEOPLE Magazine. “The shock and just disbelief was insane. I couldn’t believe it because it wasn’t an easy journey for us to get pregnant.”

She prepared a special announcement to share with her hubby. “I went and I got these little Baby Jordans, these white sneakers,” she gushed. “I put them in a box that was his size of Nikes. So he didn’t expect anything. Then I put two little pregnancy tests in there. I had been shaking at home waiting for him to come home. So he nonchalantly walked in and he, ironically enough, had a bag of Nikes. I was like, ‘Did you go shopping today?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, I got myself some new sneakers.’ I’m like, ‘No way. I got some too today.’ He came over and chucked off the lid of the box and started rummaging through it. He looked at the shoes and was like, ‘How small are these sneakers?’ Then it hit him and his face … it was priceless.”