ABC and BBC Studios said Tom Bergeron was leaving Dancing with the Stars as the show moved in a “new creative direction.” Bergeron later linked his departure to disagreements over the show’s direction, especially the 2019 casting of former White House press secretary Sean Spicer. The network statement did not confirm that dispute as the formal reason he was let go.
What ABC and BBC Studios said about Bergeron’s exit
On July 13, 2020, Bergeron announced that he had been told the show would continue without him. He described his tenure as a 15-year run, dating back to the series’ 2005 premiere. ABC and BBC Studios thanked him and said he was departing as they embarked on a “new creative direction.” ABC7’s report on the announcement quoted the joint statement.
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The public statement did not provide a more specific reason. Calling the change a firing is common shorthand, but ABC and BBC Studios did not publicly say that Bergeron was dismissed because of a particular dispute.
What Bergeron later said about Sean Spicer’s casting
In 2019, Bergeron objected to the show casting Sean Spicer for Season 28. In a later account, he said he had raised his concern with producers because he believed the program should give viewers an escape from political division. He continued hosting that season.
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Bergeron later connected the disagreement to his exit. As reported by Global News in 2023, he recalled thinking, “At that moment, I knew this is probably my last season, because of that one betrayal.” His account gives context for why he believed the show’s direction had become a problem. It remains his retrospective explanation, not a reason ABC or BBC Studios confirmed in their statement.
How the hosting change unfolded
- 2005: Bergeron began hosting Dancing with the Stars when it premiered.
- 2019: The show cast Spicer for Season 28. Bergeron later said he opposed the choice but hosted the season.
- July 13, 2020: Bergeron announced he had been informed the show would continue without him. ABC and BBC Studios also said Erin Andrews would not return.
- July 14, 2020: ABC announced Tyra Banks as the new headliner, according to TVLine’s account of the shake-up.
So, was he let go because he opposed Spicer?
Bergeron’s comments support saying that he viewed the Spicer casting and disagreements over the show’s presentation as central to his departure. They do not establish that opposition to Spicer was the official or sole reason for the decision. The clearest distinction is between the organizations’ broad public rationale—“new creative direction”—and Bergeron’s later account of the conflict behind the change.
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The shift was not limited to Bergeron: Andrews also left, and Banks was announced as the new headliner. That wider hosting change is consistent with a broader reset, but it does not resolve the disagreement between the official explanation and Bergeron’s account.
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- Move to 36 licensed songs, including The Final Countdown, These Boots Are Made For Walking, She's A Lady, I Like The Way You Move, Put Your Records On and Independent Women
- Demonstrate the same 10 dance types as on the show: Cha-Cha, Viennese Waltz, Tango, Samba, Jive, Mambo, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Paso Doble and Rhumba
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