Dancing with the Stars
Tom Bergeron Returns to ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ After Being “Shown the Front Door” Five Years Ago, for 20th Anniversary Episode
Five years after being fired as the host of Dancing with the Stars, Tom Bergeron is making a comeback to the ballroom dance competition as he is now set to return as a guest judge for the show’s upcoming 20th anniversary special next week on Tuesday, November 11th.
The announcement came first on Good Morning America on Wednesday, and later Bergeron said down with ABC News Live to share more details of how it came about after he was, according to Bergeron, “shown the front door” back in 2020.
Those who follow the series recall that Bergeron was critical of the show for allowing President Donald Trump’s former White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, to appear as a contestant on Season 28. What followed was Bergeron offering to take the next season off as host, but the producers let him out of his contract for good.

Photo: ABC
This morning, Bergeron told ABC News Live on coming back as a judge, ‘I’m really looking forward to it. That ballroom is populated with friends of mine, both on camera and now behind the scenes as well, and doing a really good job of it. So, to be able to come back for this very special night is a real treat. I’ve been watching the past few weeks kind of doing my due diligence and my homework.”
Touching upon his controversial exit as host five years ago, Bergeron offered up: “People who follow me for a while on social media know that for the first couple years, after I was shown the door, I wouldn’t even refer to the show by its actual name. I called it ‘Footwork with the Famous.’ However, when my original showrunner, Conrad Green, came back and really kind of righted what at that point had been a somewhat rickety ship, he started extending an olive branch.” Tom added, “Conrad had offered me an opportunity on the 500th show to come sit in the audience, and that didn’t feel right. I thought I’d be too fidgety, sitting there. So, I suggested coming back as a guest judge for the 20th (anniversary).”

Photo: ABC
Sizing up the remaining contestants left in this season’s competition, Bergeron noted three: “Robert Irwin has ‘win’ in his last name so that he’s got to be a front runner. Alix Earle, I think as well. Andy Richter is kind of the heart of the show right now. He may not be certainly the best dancer, but he evokes a lot of what I think has made the show last as long as it has, that it’s people coming out of their comfort zone and just bringing their own enthusiasm and desire and passion to learn. Andy brings a whole other cache to the show.”
Now with a chance to sit behind the judges table with Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, the former host was asked what type of judge he will be? “The technical stuff, the other three are going to handle, 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?”
Now with a chance to return the ballroom in a show that he he loved and hosted for 15 years, Bergeron weighed-in, if there is any longterm future for more appearances. “I don’t know. If I really suck as a judge, they’ll never ask me back,” he joked. “But, if all goes well, I could see maybe coming back in that capacity, occasionally.”
Watch Tom Bergeron’s interview with ABC News Live below on his surprise return to Dancing with the Stars for its 20th anniversary episode next week. Then let us know, are you happy to see that he is returning as a judge? Has he been the best all-time host of the show, which currently has Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, presiding over the proceedings? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
He was absolutely right about objecting to Sean Spicer appearing on Dancing With The Stars.
Dancing with the Stars
Tyler Cameron Joins the Cast of Season 35 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’

UPDATED: ‘Bachelor Nation’ favorite Tyler Cameron is one of two new additions to the cast of Dancing with the Stars upcoming season 35. Cameron will hit the ballroom dance floor and so too will dancer/actress Jenna Dewan.
Cameron is best known as the runner-up in Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette, the winner of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test and starred in his own Amazon Prime home renovation series, Going Home with Tyler Cameron.
Tyler’s casting comes five years after his best friend and former ‘Bachelor’ lead Matt James competed for the Mirror Ball Trophy with pro Lindsay Arnold on season 30. US broke the casting news.

Photo: JPI
FULL DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 35 CAST REVEAL ON GMA
Dewan is best known for starring as Nora Clark in the 2006 dance film Step Up and for her television roles in Supergirl!, The Rookie, and The Witches of Eastwick to name but a few. Jenna began her career as a back-up dancer for Janet Jackson, Pink, Missy Elliott, and Christina Aguilera before moving into acting.
The full cast of Dancing with the Stars is set to be revealed including pros and celebrity contestants on the September 2 episode of Good Morning America. However, already confirmed are: “Summer House” star Ciara Miller, “Love Island UK” alum Maura Higgins, ‘Jimmy Kimmel’ sidekick and comedian Guillermo Rodriguez and Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson.
Thursday evening August 20, TMZ is now reporting that actresses Julia Stiles and Tatyana Ali have also joined the cast. Ali is remembered in the recurring role of Roxanne on The Young and the Restless from 2007 to 2013.
Last season’s Mirror Ball Trophy went to Robert Irwin, the wildlife conservationist and son of the iconic Steve Irwin, and his pro partner Witney Carson. Dancing with the Stars hopes to repeat the success of season 24 which had stellar ratings in 2025.
Dancing With the Stars season 35 kicks off with a back-to-back premiered on ABC and Disney+ starting Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET.
So, who else would you like to see join the celebrity cast of Dancing with the Stars? Share your picks via the comment section below.
Breaking News
2026 Primetime Emmy Nominations: ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Score Among Early Categories

Wednesday Morning on the Today Show, the 78th Primetime Emmy Nominations kicked off with the announcement of two categories: Outstanding Variety Series and Outstanding Reality Competition Program. The remainder of the nominations will be announced beginning at 8:30am PT from the Television Academy.
However, General Hospital’s guest star, John Oliver (also soon to be seen on Days of Our Lives) received a nomination for his HBO talk show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in the Outstanding Variety Series category.
Oliver who just wrapped his on-screen run as the head of the WSB named Z, will compete for the gold statuette with The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and Saturday Night Live.
DANCING WITH THE STARS FIRST NOMINATION IN A DECADE
In addition, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars received its first nomination in the Outstanding Reality Competition Program category in ten years on the strength of its massively popular season 34 which featured: Dylan Efron, Jordan Chiles, Alix Earle, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt and the Mirrorball Trophy winner Robert Irwin.
Dancing with the Stars faces off with RuPaul’s Drag Race, Survivor, Top Chef and The Traitors for the reality competition prize.

Photo: ABC
Winners of the 2026 Emmy Awards will be announced on Monday, September 14 in ceremonies on NBC at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Longtime Law & Order SVU favorite: Mariska Hargitay has been named the host, and the first female to do so in over 15 years.
So, happy to hear John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight and Dancing with the Stars nabbed early nominations for this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards? Let us know via the comment section below.
Dancing with the Stars
ABC/Disney Upfronts: ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 35 Adds ‘Savannah Bananas’ Jackson Olson, ‘The Bachelor’ Franchise Spin-Offs Not on Fall Schedule

On Tuesday, May 12 at the ABC/Disney Upfronts, there were several headlines coming out of it for the upcoming 2026-2027 television and streaming season.
First, Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson will be taking some swings on the ballroom dance floor when he joins other celebrities already locked in for Dancing with the Stars season 34.
Olson will join already confirmed reality stars: Maura Higgins (The Traitors and Love Island) and Ciara Miller (Summer House). The full cast list and their pro partners will be announced on September 2nd.

Photo: SavannahBananasIG
SAVANNAH BANANAS COME TO DISNEY+
The news of Olson who has also become a social media influencer, comes out of the Disney upfront that also revealed that Disney+ will become the exclusive home of the Banana Bowl streaming live this October, hence the tie-in.
The Banana Bowl will feature the top teams in the Banana Ball league facing off for the season championship. Known for blending athleticism with entertainment, the game will include one of the biggest performances the league has ever seen, bringing together all six teams, along with its signature on-field showmanship.
NO BACHELOR FRANCHISE THIS FALL
Meanwhile, ABC revealed that a new season for the troubled The Bachelor franchise offshoots is not on the fall schedule where they usual place: The Bachelorette, The Golden Bachelor or Golden Bachelortte are no where to be found. This is the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that there will be no Bachelor-branded series on ABC’s fall schedule.

Photo: ABC
The Bachelor will return as usual in the midseason in 2027, Grant Ellis was the lead as the man looking for love and vying for a woman’s heart in 2025.
All this, amid the turmoil surrounding Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette being pulled and currently never seeing the light of day after the domestic violence surfaced with her throwing a chair towards the direction of her child, while she got into a melee with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
Ari Goldman, SVP, Content Strategy and Scheduling said of removing The Bachelor from the new season ABC lineup, “We’ve had to take a look at just managing the franchise properly. These shows have enormous fan bases, and we were so thrilled the year that we were able to launch Golden Bachelor and have it stand out in that fall season the way that it did. But I think that the usual cadence that we like to find ourselves in is really the flagship series in midseason and then having some summer edition, which we have already locked in on Bachelor of Paradise for next season. So this is more of a return to a steady state on the franchise.”
So, what do you think about Jackson Olson from the Savannah Bananas joining the new season of Dancing with the Stars? Do you like how the show is making efforts to cast social media influencers and talents with a mass number of followers to draw eyeballs to the reality-competition series? Meanwhile, are you for or against even The Bachelor coming back in 2027, or do you think its time to rest the entire concept all of its spin-offs for good? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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