Dancing with the Stars season 29 will premiere on September 14 without longtime host Tom Bergeron. Bergeron, who served as a familiar face and steady presence for many seasons, was not retained by ABC when the network replaced him and his co-host Erin Andrews with Tyra Banks, who also stepped into a role as executive producer.
Bergeron has publicly taken the news in stride, maintaining a positive tone since the announcement. Nonetheless, in a recent Instagram exchange he hinted that his relationship with the show shifted noticeably after 2017, suggesting that the experience he cherished may have changed direction following behind-the-scenes staff changes.
Tom Bergeron Describes DWTS as a Career Highlight — “At Least Through 2017”
In late August, under a photo of a peaceful West Coast view, a fan suggested they would stop watching Dancing with the Stars and encouraged the idea that Bergeron and Erin Andrews might launch their own dance program. Bergeron replied with a wry remark: his active dancing days were behind him, and his time with a segment he called “Footwork With the Famous” — as he referenced his on-air contributions — was a career highlight “at least through 2017.” He closed the comment with a light joke about moving on to new challenges, like mastering his universal remote.
The phrasing pointed to a turning point. Bergeron’s appreciation for the show was clear, but he also signaled that the atmosphere at the production had shifted after 2017, implying that whatever made DWTS a standout professional experience for him had changed since then.
Leadership Change in 2017: Rob Wade Leaves, Andrew Llinares Arrives
Part of the context comes from staffing changes at the producer level. In 2017, long-serving producer Rob Wade accepted a promotion to head Alternative Entertainment and Specials at another network, a move that put him in charge of high-profile unscripted projects elsewhere. Following that departure, ABC brought in Andrew Llinares as executive producer. Llinares arrived with extensive experience in large-scale competition formats: he had been involved with prominent UK reality formats including the shows that evolved into some of America’s best-known talent competitions.
Llinares’ background in launching and running high-stakes entertainment formats made him a natural choice to oversee the evolving production needs of Dancing with the Stars. Still, changes at the top often bring different creative and casting priorities, and those shifts can affect on-air talent and long-term cast dynamics.
Controversial Casting and Public Pushback
In 2019, the show drew significant attention after casting former White House press secretary Sean Spicer as a celebrity contestant. Bergeron publicly objected to that choice, saying he had been told the program would avoid divisive casting decisions. The announcement and the ensuing backlash became a widely covered entertainment story, and Bergeron’s public reaction amplified the debate about the show’s direction and casting philosophy.
Given Bergeron’s remarks about 2017 and the later friction over casting, it appears there were creative disagreements between on-air talent and the production leadership. While ABC framed changes to hosting as a way to refresh the series, Bergeron’s comments and the timing of producer transitions suggest there may have been deeper differences about how the show should evolve.
For viewers, the departure of familiar hosts marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter for Dancing with the Stars. With a new hosting team and new executive leadership, the program set out to redefine itself while managing the mixed reactions from longtime fans and former colleagues.
Bergeron continues to engage with fans on social media, reflecting on his career and looking forward to new personal and professional challenges. The conversation around the show’s future, its casting choices, and the producers steering its course remains part of the broader story as season 29 approaches.