With every popular show comes a fair share of backlash. Ever since the 2005 debut of Dancing With the Stars, fans have been very vocal about what they do and don’t like — and who deserves to be on the show.
One of the biggest shakeups came ahead in July 2020 when Tom Bergeron announced that after hosting the show since the series premiere, he was axed from the show, along with cohost Erin Andrews. The sportscaster had joined him in 2014 and the duo quickly became fan favorites.
“As we embark on a new creative direction, he departs the show with our sincerest thanks and gratitude for his trademark wit and charm that helped make this show a success,” ABC and BBC said in a statement at the time. “Erin will also not be returning, and we appreciate all that she brought to the ballroom. Fans have been rooting for her since she originally competed as a contestant back in 2010, and her signature sense of humor has become a hallmark of the show.”
Bergeron noted that he saw his time on DWTS coming to an end ahead of being let go. “In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved,” he said on an episode of the “Bob Saget’s Here for You” podcast in October 2021. “So, the end of the season that turned out to be my last season [in 2019], I kind of knew. So I took everything out of my dressing room that I really wanted. … It was kind of obvious that we were kind of butting heads.”
The show’s executive producer Andrew Llinares later opened up about the decision to cut Andrews and Bergeron and cast Tyra Banks as their replacement. (Alfonso Ribeiro joined as cohost during season 31.)
“I think it’s all about evolution. I think any show like this that has been on many, many seasons needs to continue to evolve,” he told reporters in September 2020. “I think changing the host was all about evolution, it was about making the show feel fresh, making it feel new [and] kind of make it reach out — maybe to a new audience as well, as well as the audience that’s been there for years.”
The hosts aren’t the only ones to start a controversy on the show! The judges, the pros and the celebrities have also made many headlines through the years. Scroll through the gallery below for some of the biggest moments.
With every popular show comes a fair share of backlash. Ever since the 2005 debut of Dancing With the Stars, fans have been very vocal about what they do and don’t like — and who deserves to be on the show.
One of the biggest shakeups came ahead in July 2020 when Tom Bergeron announced that after hosting the show since the series premiere, he was axed from the show, along with cohost Erin Andrews. The sportscaster had joined him in 2014 and the duo quickly became fan favorites.
“As we embark on a new creative direction, he departs the show with our sincerest thanks and gratitude for his trademark wit and charm that helped make this show a success,” ABC and BBC said in a statement at the time. “Erin will also not be returning, and we appreciate all that she brought to the ballroom. Fans have been rooting for her since she originally competed as a contestant back in 2010, and her signature sense of humor has become a hallmark of the show.”
Bergeron noted that he saw his time on DWTS coming to an end ahead of being let go. “In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved,” he said on an episode of the “Bob Saget’s Here for You” podcast in October 2021. “So, the end of the season that turned out to be my last season [in 2019], I kind of knew. So I took everything out of my dressing room that I really wanted. … It was kind of obvious that we were kind of butting heads.”
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The show’s executive producer Andrew Llinares later opened up about the decision to cut Andrews and Bergeron and cast Tyra Banks as their replacement. (Alfonso Ribeiro joined as cohost during season 31.)
“I think it’s all about evolution. I think any show like this that has been on many, many seasons needs to continue to evolve,” he told reporters in September 2020. “I think changing the host was all about evolution, it was about making the show feel fresh, making it feel new [and] kind of make it reach out — maybe to a new audience as well, as well as the audience that’s been there for years.”
The hosts aren’t the only ones to start a controversy on the show! The judges, the pros and the celebrities have also made many headlines through the years. Scroll through the gallery below for some of the biggest moments.
Credit: ABC/Adam Taylor
Hope Solo Slams Partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy
In her 2012 memoir, Solo: A Memoir of Hope, Hope Solo slammed her season 13 partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy. “He manhandled me in rehearsals from the start, pushing me, whacking my stomach, bending my arms roughly,” she claimed. “One day, Maks was trying to put me in a certain position and hit my stomach so hard with his open palm that I had a red handprint there for the rest of the day.”
He adamantly denied her claims and called her “a sh–ty person” during a 2015 interview: “You can have a sh–ty life growing up, but if you’re a bad person, there’s no excuse for that.”
Credit: ABC (2)
Is Julianne Hough a Fair Judge?
In season 19, longtime pro Julianne Hough landed a seat at the judges’ table. However, not everyone thought it was fair that she would be scoring her brother, Derek Hough.
“I think that she is wonderful, gorgeous, and talented, but I don’t know if it’s ethical that she is judging while her brother is competing,” former pro Karina Smirnoff told Us Weekly exclusively in 2014. “I may be the most fair person in the world, but if my mom is dancing and she trips, I would be like, ‘Well, I didn’t see that…’ That is my mother, and I will go stand by her side and support her regardless. Do I think it’s fair? No. But it is a TV show. That is what we have to remember. It’s not necessarily the Bible, it’s just a TV show.”
Credit: ABC/Kelsey McNeal
Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess Win
When radio host Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess won season 27, it’s safe to say everyone watching — and everyone involved in the show — was shocked. The pair beat out front-runner Milo Manheim, actress Evanna Lynch and model Alexis Ren. Bones later pointed out he definitely didn’t win because of his dancing but simply because of his fans.
Credit: Scott Kirkland/Invision/AP/Shutterstock; Kristin Callahan/ACE Pictures/Shutterstock; Broadimage/Shutterstock
Shocking Changes
In July 2020, Dancing With the Stars fans were disappointed when Tom Bergeron tweeted that he was axed as a host ahead of season 29. ABC simultaneously announced that Erin Andrews, who joined in 2014, would also not be returning. The next day, they revealed Tyra Banks would be the new host. Fans and celebrities alike tweeted their disappointment with the ousting of the fan favorites.
Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless
Carole Baskin Joins
When Carole Baskin was announced as part of season 29, the show was slammed with backlash due to the ongoing investigation into her first husband’s disappearance.
