Tom Bergeron is feeling the love over his Dancing With the Stars return.
“Well, it’s the morning after the 20th Birthday Party show for Dancing With the Stars,” Bergeron, 70, said in a Wednesday, November 12, Instagram video. “Remarkably, I’m not hung over from the afterparty but a little bit hoarse.”
He continued, “I just wanted to take a second to thank all of you because [of] the social media reaction.”
Bergeron was too overcome with emotion to complete his thought, revealing he was “getting choked up.”
Tom Bergeron may not miss his role as cohost of Dancing With the Stars, but there is one thing from the ABC series he wishes he still had in his life. “The paycheck,” Bergeron hilariously revealed in a recent interview with E! News. “There are some people I miss, but I’m really happy not hosting.” […]
“Thank you,” he whispered, waving to the camera.
Bergeron also captioned his upload, “Sometimes even I’m at a loss for words. Thank you all SO much 🥰.”
Bergeron, the original host of Dancing With the Stars, returned for Tuesday’s live show as a guest judge.
“I am thrilled to be here, it’s such a rush. So great to see you all, and we have a number of familiar faces in the audiences,” he said during the broadcast, highlighting what he was looking for in the quarterfinalists’ dances. “You’re a week away from the semifinals, so I’m looking for the type of dance that induces goosebumps, but since I’m sitting next to Bruno [Tonioli], I’m also trying to avoid a concussion.”
Tuesday’s episode saw Andy Richter and pro partner Emma Slater’s elimination after an evening of dancing in honor of the ballroom competition’s 20th anniversary. In tribute to DWTS‘ long-running tenure, each couple performed a routine inspired by a past champion’s finale freestyle. The pairs also joined forces with a former winner for head-to-head dance relay round.
While all eyes were on the stunning routines, many fans were thrilled to see show OG Bergeron back in the ballroom.
“Your presence was everything! Love you so much Tom,” current cohost Julianne Hough, who even teared up during the show opening, wrote via Instagram comment on Wednesday.
Fellow alum Sharna Burgess added, “Having you there, your presence and your voice in the ballroom was everything, You are so loved.”
The Dancing With the Stars showrunners caused a stir when they replaced hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews with Tyra Banks in July 2020 — but it wasn’t the first time the role had a change of guards. Bergeron served as the constant host for the dance competition from its 2005 debut through season 28, […]
Bergeron sat at the judges’ table with Tonioli, 69, Derek Hough and Carrie Ann Inaba.
“You were brilliant last night,” Inaba, 57, replied to Bergeron’s social media message. “It felt like home with you there.”
Bergeron began hosting the show during 2005’s season 1, which Inaba and Tonoili judged alongside the late Len Goodman. (Goodman died in 2023 at the age of 78.)
Bergeron left DWTS in 2020 before Tyra Banks and, later, Alfonso Ribeiro took his place.
“We loved and will cherish every second of you being back in the ballroom,” Ribeiro wrote via Instagram on Wednesday. “For me personally, it meant the world to me to be able to spend so much quality time with you.”
As Bergeron made his triumphant return to the dance floor, he also had high hopes for the show’s future.
“In my last comments as a judge, I want to talk directly to the network,” he quipped on air, facing the camera directly. “This show is setting ratings records again, so next season, bring back the results show. Let the whole country vote. Let everybody vote.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
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