Tom Bergeron Recalled How He Was Let Go From 'DWTS': 'It Wasn't A Pleasant Experience'

Tom Bergeron recounted memories of how he was fired from "Dancing With The Stars" alongside fellow co-host Erin Jill Andrews.

The TV personality had hosted the dance program since its 2005 debut while Andrews joined him in 2014 for season 18.

In July 2020, ABC announced that Bergeron and Andrews would no longer be a part of the show, as the series would be heading in a fresh creative direction. 

As reported by PEOPLE, Bergeron spoke on being kicked off "DWTS" last year while being interviewed on the "Bob Saget's Here for You" podcast.

Tyra Banks replaced the 66-year-old and his 43-year-old counterpart in preparation for the show's 29th season.

The TV personality told Saget that, "In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved." At the end of the season that turned out to be his last, Bergeron was already prepared. 

The actor took everything out of his dressing room that he wanted, as it was clear that he and the executives were not seeing eye to eye, off-camera.

Bergeron said it was not a pleasant experience, but he was unsurprised, and there was no blue period surrounding his firing.

"I think Erin and I had more fun being fired than virtually anybody," the comedian said. He added that he had a largely positive experience hosting the ABC show.

Following personnel changes in recent years, the host stopped being on the same page with producers on the best way to present the dance program.

The star said that the producers are entitled to "do the show the way they think is best," and he looks back at a vast majority of his time there with really great fondness.

Regarding the show's cast, Bergeron said there are people on the show he cares about, and he wants them to have long careers.

The former host said he also wants people to still tune in to the program and support the talented people who will be on their screens.

In August 2020, The Blast shared some details of Bergeron's exit from "DWTS." The TV personality came across a recent edition of "Stars Magazine," which detailed why they believe he was fired from the show.

The comedian posted a picture of himself with a copy of the magazine, adding, "who says grocery shopping isn't enlightening?"

Fans were displeased at the news of Bergeron's abrupt termination, which caused a massive rise in negativity towards ABC & BBC on social media. 

The network's choice to bring in Banks was rumored to be a political move for racial diversity, to avoid legal consequences from "Black Lives Matter" and other racial activist groups.

In September 2020, The Blast reported that Banks shared her reaction to the viewing statistics for that year's premiere of "DWTS."

The happy host took to Twitter to announce that the rating for the premiere episode was up by 30%.

The 47-year-old received backlash from her posts as fans who missed Bergeron were displeased by her news. A popular comment on her post read, "Can Tyra please be the first one to be sent home?" 

It seems that many fans still miss Bergeron and Andrews, but the show must go on.