For 15 years and 28 seasons on ABC, Dancing with the Stars had America's Funniest Home Videos vet Tom Bergeron front and center as the main host, with Erin Andrews serving as co-host since Season 18. That all changed this week, however, as Bergeron and Andrews were fired from the long-running competition series, with producers aiming to take things in a somewhat new direction for Season 29. Now, the network has announced the new host that will be kicking off a new era of Dancing with the Stars: Tyra Banks.
That's right, the former host of America's Got Talent and America's Next Top Model, which she also created, will now be the front-woman for an unscripted series that doesn't have "America" in the title. (But will hopefully still have as much GIF potential.) Tyra Banks won't merely be serving as the host for Dancing with the Stars, but she'll also be involved behind the scenes as an executive producer working alongside showrunner and fellow EP Andrew Llinares.
Tyra Banks is a true powerhouse in the entertainment industry and is recognizable all around the world as a TV mainstay, a beloved supermodel, and a highly successful businesswoman. Just look at how many Top Model spinoffs there are across the globe. (There are around 50 of them.) So there's little mystery behind why ABC wanted to bring Banks on board to inject some freshness into the celebrity-filled show.
Here's what Tyra Banks herself had to say about her high-profile new job, complete with a shoutout to Tom Bergeron.
I’ve been a fan of DWTS since its beginning … The fun mixed with raw emotion, seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones, the sizzling dance performances … it’s always transported me to my days of turning it up 10 notches on the catwalk. Tom has set a powerful stage, and I’m excited to continue the legacy and put on my executive producer and hosting hats.
It's possible that those who were looking hard enough realized that changes were imminent for the ABC series. The most recent season of Dancing with the Stars marked the first time in the show's run that the network opted to skip the spring cycle in order to focus on the fall. The shift did not appear to create a wave of eager fans, however, with Season 28 averaging fewer viewers than any season before it, on top of a finale that frustrated Erin Andrews herself. All involved are clearly hoping that Tyra Banks will rejuvenate the 15-year-old series.
At this time, there's no word on when ABC's Dancing with the Stars will even be able to move forward with production on Season 29, but stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on that front. After checking out what Erin Andrews had to say about getting ousted, head to our Summer 2020 TV schedule and Fall 2020 TV premiere guide to see all the shows that are confirmed for debuts in the coming months.
