Former Dancing With the Stars host Tom Bergeron didn’t hold back in a recent interview, criticizing Tyra Banks, who replaced him as the host of the show. Bergeron, who co-hosted the popular dance competition for 28 seasons, was let go from the show, and Tyra Banks was brought in as his replacement, facing backlash from fans from the start.
The candid conversation took place during an episode of the Sex, Lies and Spray Tans podcast hosted by Cheryl Burke, a former professional dancer on Dancing With the Stars.
During the podcast episode, Burke asked Bergeron to describe his former co-hosts. While Bergeron had praise for his former colleagues, he appeared to throw some shade at Tyra Banks, describing her as “a curiosity.”
Fans on social media, particularly Reddit, were quick to express their agreement with Bergeron’s assessment of the show’s new direction. One fan commented, “Erin Andrews and Tom were the dream team! They were actually funny.” Another fan wrote, “I miss Tom, and part of the magic of the show left when he did.”
Tyra Banks hosted Dancing With the Stars for just one season and faced significant criticism from viewers throughout her tenure. She was replaced by Julianne Hough, a former pro dancer on the show.
However, Julianne Hough’s hosting abilities have also been met with criticism. Following an episode that aired on October 18, viewers criticized her for repeatedly mispronouncing contestant Xochitl Gomez’s name. Many felt that she and the show’s announcer were saying the name as “Sochi” rather than “Sow-cheel.”
The mispronunciation sparked a backlash on social media, with one viewer expressing their frustration, saying, “The fact that the #DWTS announcer and Julianne can’t f**king pronounce Xochitl’s name correctly pisses me off to no end.”
Julianne Hough’s interviewing skills also came under scrutiny during the episode. After a performance by Barry Williams and professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd, during which they experienced several missteps, Julianne asked them, “What happened there?” in reference to the near mishap.
Viewers on social media didn’t hold back in their response to Julianne’s questioning, with one person commenting, “What kind of question was that, Julianne? ‘What happened there.’ ‘Yeah, I meant to drop her on her face.'” Another viewer expressed their disappointment with her interview skills, saying, “Julianne’s questions are horrible. Much better as a judge.”
This isn’t the first time Julianne Hough has faced backlash during her time on Dancing With the Stars. Previously, she faced criticism for not knowing about the passing of Barry Williams’ Brady Bunch co-star, Florence Henderson.