00:00 Former Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron is not holding back when opening up about
00:04 being fired from the ABC reality competition series.
00:08 The 68-year-old left the series in 2020 after being openly critical of the casting of Donald
00:13 Trump's White House press secretary Sean Spicer in the show's 28th season.
00:18 Speaking with The Sex Lies and Spraytans podcast, Bergeron detailed the bitter split after hosting
00:23 the hit show for 15 years.
00:25 Bergeron says he had just signed a new contract for three seasons and during pre-production
00:30 for that season had urged them not to cast any political figures due to the pending presidential
00:35 election and the increasingly divisive climate.
00:38 He says the producers seemingly enthusiastically agreed, but then a few weeks later he got
00:43 a phone call from two producers giving him a heads up that Spicer was being cast anyway.
00:47 "I said, 'Guys, this is exactly what we said we wouldn't do,' and I would have responded
00:52 the same way if they had booked Hillary Clinton, whom I voted for.
00:55 Don't go there.
00:56 This is not the right time.
00:57 Play to our strengths.
00:58 Be the show that gives people a break from all this bullshit.
01:01 So I was furious."
01:02 Bergeron says he offered to take the season off, so producers countered by offering to
01:07 let him out of his contract entirely.
01:09 "It really pissed me off.
01:10 My temper kicked in.
01:12 I was at least going to let people know that they f---ing lied to me."
01:15 Bergeron took to Twitter in August of 2019 and let his frustration over the casting be
01:20 known.
01:21 He said he nonetheless hosted the show for the season, with Spicer being voted out after
01:25 eight weeks of mocking from social media and the show's judges.
01:29 But he says he knew, "This is probably my last season, because of that one betrayal.
01:33 My lawyer had said to me, 'It's really well written, but you're putting a bullseye on
01:36 your back.'"
01:37 In July, Bergeron announced that he was leaving Dancing With the Stars and co-host Erin Andrews
01:42 departed the show as well.
01:44 America's Next Top Model creator and host Tyra Banks was announced as the show's new
01:47 host before leaving earlier this year with Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough taking
01:52 over for season 32.
01:54 For more on this story, head to THR.com.
01:57 And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter
02:01 News.
02:02 The Hollywood Reporter News is a production of The Hollywood Reporter.
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