“Dancing with the Stars” host Tom Bergeron spoke out Wednesday over his desire to avoid “divisive bookings” on the upcoming season of the ABC series, which will feature former White House press secretary Sean Spicer.
“A few months ago, during a lunch with DWTS’ new Executive Producer, I offered suggestions for Season 28. Chief among them was my hope that DWTS . . . would be a joyful respite from our exhausting political climate and free of inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations,” Bergeron tweeted in a message, without specifying names.
“I left that lunch convinced we were in agreement,” the 64-year-old host continued. “Subsequently (and rather obviously), a decision was made to, as we often say in Hollywood, ‘go in a different direction.'”
Spicer, who resigned from his post in the Trump administration in 2017, was announced Wednesday on “Good Morning America” as one of the ballroom-bound stars for Season 28. He joins former NBA player Lamar Odom, “Bachelorette” Hannah Brown, and “Queer Eye’s” Karamo Brown in the celebrity lineup.
Spicer’s casting ignited a firestorm on social media, with many Twitter users responding to “GMA’s” announcement of his participation with dismay.
As for Bergeron, who has hosted the show since its inception in 2005, he noted certain calls come down to those working behind the curtain.
“It is the prerogative of the producers, in partnership with the network, to make whatever decisions they feel are in the best long term interests of the franchise. We can agree to disagree, as we do now, but ultimately it’s their call. I’ll leave it to them to answer any further questions about those decisions,” Bergeron shared.
With the new season kicking off next month, Bergeron is ready for the show to go on.
“For me, as host, I always gaze into the camera’s lens and imagine you on the other side, looking for a two-hour escape from whatever life hassles you’ve been wrestling with. That’s a connection, and a responsibility, which I take very seriously, even I occasionally season it with dad jokes,” he wrote.
“Hopefully, when Erin Andrews and I look into those lenses again on September 16, you’ll be on the other side looking back, able to enjoy the charismatic pro dancers, the unpredictable judges and the kitschy charm that has defined DWTS since 2005.”
This isn’t the first time Spicer has been linked to “Dancing with the Stars.” Page Six previously reported that he was courted for the show two years ago.
On Wednesday evening, “Dancing with the Stars” executive producer Andrew Llinares told Page Six in a statement: “We’ve got a great and diverse cast. We are excited about this season.”