Tom Bergeron Makes a Triumphant Return to the DWTS Ballroom — 5 Years After His Exit
He’s back where it all began! 💃✨
Tom Bergeron DWTS return is finally happening! After five long years away, the beloved TV host is making his emotional comeback to the ballroom.
On Tuesday, November 11, Bergeron will step onto the DWTS stage once again, this time as a guest judge for the show’s 20th anniversary celebration. He’ll join Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough for what promises to be an emotional, nostalgic night for fans who grew up watching him lead the show with humor and warmth.
“It’s going to be great,” Bergeron told TV Insider. “I’m anticipating that it’s going to be a wonderfully emotional, nostalgic night. It’s so much fun to watch my friends do the work. I don’t have to throw to commercials. I don’t have to worry about timing.”
Fans have been waiting for Tom Bergeron DWTS return ever since his shocking 2020 departure, and now the moment has finally arrived.
The 70-year-old television icon also shared that he’ll be respectful toward current host Alfonso Ribeiro, saying,
“I’ll be sensitive to what Alfonso has to deal with, ’cause I’ve been there. But I’m just looking forward to being surrounded by people I care about on live television. It’s my happy place.”
From Beloved Host to Bittersweet Goodbye
Bergeron hosted Dancing with the Stars for an incredible 28 seasons, from the show’s debut in 2005 until his sudden departure in 2020. During his time as host, he became one of the most recognized and trusted faces on American television, earning multiple Emmy Awards and countless fan tributes.
When news of his firing broke, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
“It’s been an incredible 15-year run and the most unexpected gift of my career. I’m grateful for that and for the lifelong friendships made.”
But in later interviews, Bergeron admitted that his final season wasn’t pleasant and that creative differences with producers had become impossible to ignore.
“In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved,” he revealed in 2021. “At the end of that season, I kind of knew it was time. I took everything out of my dressing room that I really wanted.”
The Breaking Point
One of the biggest tensions came during Season 28, when producers decided to cast former White House press secretary Sean Spicer — a move Bergeron strongly opposed.
“It was exactly what we said we wouldn’t do,” he recalled. “I told them, this isn’t the right time. We should be the show that gives people a break from all this political stuff.”
When he pushed back, Bergeron said he was told they could let him out of his contract — a moment that made it clear his time with DWTS was ending.
“That one betrayal really pissed me off,” he said. “Up until that point, there were people of character there.”
Tom Bergeron Return to Dancing with the Stars: A Full-Circle Moment
Now, after half a decade away, Tom Bergeron’s return feels like a full-circle moment — both for him and for the fans who missed his charm and quick wit. Many longtime viewers have already taken to social media to express excitement, saying the show “finally feels right again.”
His return isn’t just a cameo — it’s a reminder of why audiences fell in love with DWTS in the first place: warmth, humor, and the magic of live television. For longtime fans, the Tom Bergeron DWTS return feels like a well-deserved celebration of everything that made the show special.
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.