- Tom Bergeron hosted Dancing With the Stars for 14 years before his controversial exit in 2019.
- At the time, Tom left the show after speaking out against the casting of President Donald Trump’s former press secretary, Sean Spicer.
- Now, he’s coming back to his old stomping grounds for the first time in six years, for one night only.
Dancing With the Stars is so back. Not only are we in the thick of its incredibly eventful 34th season, but the show is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special episode on November 11. The episode is set to bring back some familiar faces from the franchise and will reportedly feature at least six pro dancers in a group dance number. However, one notable DWTS alum is coming back for one night only as a guest judge: Tom Bergeron.
On November 4, Tom revealed to Good Morning America that he’s set to return for the reality competition series’ major milestone.
“It feels really good,” Tom told the GMA hosts of his DWTS comeback. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
Tom, who hosted the show from 2005 to 2019, added, “I think 20 years of any primetime show is amazing, but for a show that’s 20 years old that’s also having a ratings resurgence—you’re more likely to see a zebra playing the piano.”
This will mark his first time in the ballroom since his shocking exit in 2019, when he called out showrunners for casting a political figure—more specifically, President Trump’s former press secretary, Sean Spicer, on the series.
At the time, he suggested that producers should refrain from casting any politicians on the show so it could be a “wonderful escape” from the state of the country ahead of the 2020 election. While they initially agreed, Tom told former DWTS pro dancer Cheryl Burke that he received a phone call with the casting news.
“I said, ‘Guys, this is exactly what we said we wouldn’t do. Don’t go there,” he said on her Sex, Lies, Spray Tans podcast in October 2023. “This is, you know, not the right time, play to our strengths, be the show that gives people a break from all this bullshit.” He revealed he had then exited the series because of the “betrayal.”
These days, Tom seems to be on better terms with DWTS’ showrunners. On November 4, Tom also told ABC News that he had received a phone call from showrunner Conrad Green long before the anniversary special to “extend an olive branch” after his dramatic exit from the series in 2019.
“Well, Conrad had offered me, on the 500th show, an opportunity to come sit in the audience, and that didn’t feel right. I thought I’d be too fidget-y sitting there,” he said, adding that he was actually the one who suggested coming back for the 20th anniversary.
He then shared what kind of judge he might be during the upcoming special. “Look, the technical stuff, the other three are going to handle,” he said, referring to Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli. “I’m into…did you move me in any way? Did you make me laugh, cry, [give me] goosebumps? Did you make me look for the exits? You know, it can go anywhere, but that’s where I come from.”
Tom making his way back to the ballroom? Nature might be healing.
