“You Don’t Just Erase 15 Years”: Tom Bergeron Confirms DWTS Return Conversations After Sudden Exit Still Stings

   

It seems Tom Bergeron’s foray into “Dancing With Sharks” has softened his stance on that other dancing show he was a part of for 15 years. After firmly insisting he had no intention of ever returning to “Dancing With the Stars,” the former host is now saying that it’s a definite possibility.

Tom Bergeron


Tom Bergeron Would Like to Return in ‘a Certain Capacity’

Bergeron admitted to USA Today that he recently chatted with his “good buddy,” Conrad Green, about returning to the show for Season 34. Not to replace Alfonso Ribeiro, but rather as a cameo of sorts.

“We did have lunch, and we did talk, and I offered a scenario where I might come back for a night in a certain capacity,” Bergeron said. “The mirrorball is back in their court now.”

Bergeron is happy that Green, one of the original executives on “Dancing With the Stars,” returned to the show. “He’s been largely responsible for getting the show back on track,” he said.

Despite his warm feelings towards Green, he turned down his invitation to attend the 500th episode celebration. “I said that I’d get too fidgety sitting in the audience,” he said.

 

While Bergeron’s return to the show for any amount of time would delight fans, it’s also quite a surprise. In 2023, he sat down with fellow “Dancing With the Stars” alum Cheryl Burke and said something completely different.

When Burke asked him about returning on her “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast, his answer was a firm “No. It’s not the same show, it’s not the same world,” he told her.

“The show that I loved was not the show that I left, and that’s it in a nutshell,” he added.


Bergeron Brought his Punny Humor to ‘Dancing With Sharks’

Despite the campiness of “Dancing With Sharks,” the pitch piqued Bergeron’s interest. “Yeah, it was a surprise. Needless to say, no one had ever come up with this topic before,” Bergeron told USA Today. “But it tickled me.”

“And it also incorporates something we should’ve tried in my 15 years hosting ‘Dancing With the Stars’; Bringing in another species,” he joked.

Bergeron’s corny humor is dialed up to ten as he talks about his new dancing show. “Anytime you’re talking about ‘one of my chums’ or you tell a wise-[expletive], ‘Is that shark-asm?’ It’s all kind of natural,” he said. “Have puns, will travel.”

Bergeron has famously poked fun at the DWTS Mirror Ball Trophy, and the “Dancing With Sharks” trophy is also, he says, “sad.”

“When they gave the trophy, I was like, ‘Really?” he said. “But that’s the same reaction I had with the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ trophy for years,”

 
 
 
 
 
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