Tom Bergeron leaves ‘Dancing with the Stars’ after 15 years of hosting
After 6 years co-host Erin Andrews is also out
Former film executive Chris Fenton discusses restarting film and TV production with coronavirus regulations in California and the delay of future content.
Tom Bergeron, who has hosted the ABC reality show juggernaut "Dancing with the Stars" since its debut in 2005, will be hanging up his dancing shoes, he tweeted Monday evening.
TV RATINGS SURGE AS CORONAVIRUS KEEPS MORE AMERICANS HOME
“Just informed @DancingABC will be continuing without me. It's been an incredible 15 year run and the most unexpected gift of my career,” he wrote. “I'm grateful for that and for the lifelong friendships made. That said, now what am I supposed to do with all of these glitter masks?”
His co-host, Erin Andrews, also will not be returning for Season 29.
“Tom Bergeron will forever be part of the Dancing with the Stars family,” reads a joint statement from ABC and BBC Studios, which produces the show. “As we embark on a new creative direction, he departs the show with our sincerest thanks and gratitude for his trademark wit and charm that helped make this show a success.”
“Erin will also not be returning, and we appreciate all that she brought to the ballroom,” the statement continued. “Fans have been rooting for her since she originally competed as a contestant back in 2010, and her signature sense of humor has become a hallmark of the show.”
ABC did not say who would be taking over for Bergeron and Andrews, who was also a competitor on the show in 2010.
A season premiere date hasn’t been announced since the coronavirus pandemic has halted most of nonessential television production.
PRIME-TIME TV IS WINNING FROM CORONAVIRUS-RELATED QUARANTINES
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIS | THE WALT DISNEY CO. | 115.07 | +5.94 | +5.44% |
Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews will not be returning for season 29 of "Dancing with the Stars" on ABC. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)
REALITY TV’S PRODUCERS FACE DECREASING WAGES, TOUGHER WORKING CONDITIONS
READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS BY CLICKING HERE
Bergeron appears to have a positive outlook on the monumental career change.
In a follow-up tweet, the 65-year-old media star wrote, “On the plus side, Now I'm free for our socially distanced lunch!”
The finale of Season 28 last November had the lowest ratings of any finale in the series' history, according to The Wrap.
Between 2018 and 2019, “Dancing with the Stars” reportedly had a $113,977 asking price for 30-second TV ads aired during its broadcast, according to a published survey on the online statistics portal Statista, which compiled responses from media buying agencies.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
But as the show's rating dipped so too did is ad prices. For 2019-2020 seasons the data show that a 30-second commercial for the show declined to $91,170 per spot.