Tom Bergeron Reveals Why He Was Fired From 'Dancing With the Stars'
Published Oct. 12 2021, 9:37 p.m. ET
Tom Bergeron had been the host of Dancing With the Stars since the show's beginning in 2005. Hosting a show for 15 years is an impressive feat which made the fact that he was abruptly fired in 2020 all the more perplexing. Until now, fans were unsure of what happened. Tom recently revealed what went down. So, why was Tom Bergeron fired from DWTS? Here's why it didn't surprise him.
Why was Tom Bergeron fired from 'DWTS'?
During an interview via Facebook earlier in 2021 with Vicki Abelson, host of the online show Game Changers with Vicki Abelson, Tom was asked about the end of his time on Dancing With the Stars. It turns out he wasn't at all surprised by the fact that he was fired. "The show I left was not the show I loved," he said. He clarified, though, that he was "at a point in my life and career where I didn't have to just shut up and take it."
More recently, while chatting with Bob Saget on his podcast Bob Saget's Here For You, Tom elaborated. When asked by Bob if he felt sad about being forced out, Tom said no. "In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved. So, the end of the season that turned out to be my last season [in 2019], I kind of knew. So I took everything out of my dressing room that I really wanted ... It was kind of obvious that we were kind of butting heads."
What disagreements did Tom have with the show's producers?
During the summer of 2018, Tom had a couple of lunch meetings to discuss the future of the show and what it should do upon its return. Tom felt the show should play to its strengths by continuing to be an oasis for its fans. He told Bob on his podcast that he firmly believed the show should avoid booking political guests. The two people he had separate lunches with agreed, and Tom thought they were on the same page until they booked the show.
He was caught off guard and felt so mislead that he released a statement via Twitter. In it, he mentioned the conversation he had with the show's new executive producer. He openly shared what was discussed during the lunch, letting the fans know he wanted DWTS to be a "joyful respite from our exhausting political climate and free from inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations." He then went on to say, "We can agree to disagree, as we do now, but ultimately it's their call."
In July 2020, both Tom and Erin Andrews were fired from the show, which left fans reeling. In a tweet, Tom called the show the "most unexpected gift of my career. I'm grateful for that and for the lifelong friendships made."
According to Deadline, Tom is in talks to possibly host a game show, about which he teased, "But it’s not going to be a show I previously hosted, however, it’s very reminiscent of a show I previously hosted." Sounds pretty cryptic, but maybe that's part of the game!