<\/p>\n
Tom Bergeron<\/a> famously hosted Dancing With the Stars<\/a><\/em> for over a decade and will return to the ballroom as a guest judge for this week\u2019s 20th Birthday Party episode. But would Bergeron ever be interested in appearing on the show as a contestant?<\/p>\n \u201cF**k no!\u201d he said in an interview with Parade<\/a> published on Monday, November 10. \u201cHey man, I\u2019m 70 years old. I don\u2019t need that kind of hassle. I have such respect for what the contestants put themselves through. I have no desire to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Bergeron went on to note that he has \u201cno desire to host anything anymore, really,\u201d adding, \u201cI\u2019m kind of loving life. And to be able to go on the show and watch my buddies do the heavy lifting, that\u2019s just lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n While Bergeron isn\u2019t interested in taking home the Mirrorball trophy for himself, there\u2019s one celebrity the show\u2019s former host says he wished had competed during his time on the ABC competition series.<\/p>\n \u201cI know he wouldn\u2019t do it now. But years ago. I\u2019ve been friends for quite a few years with William Shatner<\/a>,\u201d he revealed. \u201cAnd I was a little irked at him when he did The Masked Singer<\/a><\/em> after I did it. \u2026 I could never get him to do Dancing with the Stars<\/em>. But I thought he would have been absolutely great. He\u2019s such a funny, charming guy. But I think that ship has sailed.\u201d<\/p>\n Bergeron served as the main host of DWTS<\/em> for its first 28 seasons, until he was let go ahead of the show\u2019s Season 29 return in 2020. He later revealed that he was fired<\/a> due to disagreements with showrunner Andrew Llinares over changes to the show\u2019s direction, particularly regarding the casting of former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer<\/a> in Season 28.<\/p>\n Alfonso Ribeiro, Witney Carson, and Tom Bergeron on Season 19, Episode 11, of ABC’s ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ November 25, 2014.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Adam Taylor \/ \u00a9ABC \/ Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018Guys, this is exactly what we we said we wouldn\u2019t do.\u2019 And I would have responded the same way if they had booked Hillary Clinton<\/a>, whom I voted for,\u201d Bergeron shared on the Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast<\/a> in 2023. \u201c\u2018Don\u2019t go there. This is, you know, not the right time. Play to our strengths, be the show that gives people a break from all this bulls**t.’\u201d<\/p>\n Bergeron ended up publicly calling out the casting decision via social media, telling the Here For You podcast<\/a> in 2021 that he later suspected Season 28 would be his last.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Bergeron revealed to TV Guide Magazine<\/em><\/a> that he planned on leaving the show after Season 30 when his contract was up. \u201cAs circumstances played out, I left two seasons before. But those seasons were during COVID, so what would\u2019ve been my last two\u2014I would\u2019ve hated them,\u201d he shared in August. \u201cEverything I loved about the show, the camaraderie, hanging out\u2014none of that would\u2019ve been available. I\u2019m glad it didn\u2019t end that way. And not surprisingly, the showrunner that I locked horns with didn\u2019t last much longer anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Six years after his final season, Bergeron will join Carrie Ann Inaba<\/a>, Derek Hough<\/a>, and Bruno Tonioli<\/a> at the judges\u2019 desk on the show\u2019s Tuesday, November 11, 20th anniversary episode.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m anticipating that it\u2019s going to be a wonderfully emotional, nostalgic night. In the audience will be a number of past champions and competitors,\u201d he exclusively told TV Insider<\/a> earlier this month. \u201cThere\u2019s a special dance challenge that is going to factor into the anniversary night that will evoke even more nostalgia. It\u2019s going to be great.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cAnd I\u2019ll tell you, it\u2019s so much fun to watch my friends do the work. I don\u2019t have to throw to commercials. I don\u2019t have to worry about the timing. I\u2019ll be respectful and sensitive of what Alfonso [Ribeiro]<\/a> has to deal with, \u2019cause I\u2019ve been there. But I\u2019m just looking forward to being in an environment surrounded by people I really care about on live television, where there\u2019s no second take. It\u2019s my happy place.\u201d<\/p>\n Dancing With the Stars<\/em>, Season 34, Tuesdays, 8\/7c, ABC and Disney+ (Streaming Next Day on Hulu)<\/strong><\/p>\n For a more extended celebration of two decades of Dancing With the Stars, from exclusive interviews to retrospectives and must-see photos, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine\u2019s<\/a> Dancing With the Stars 20th Anniversary special issue, available for purchase online at DWTS.TVGM2025.com<\/a> and on newsstands now.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n