Former Dancing With the Stars host Tom Bergeron returned to the ballroom on Tuesday as a special guest judge for the show’s 20th anniversary celebration, marking his first appearance since his departure in 2020 over creative differences with the producers.
At the start of the show, Bergeron welcomed the audience to the show before being joined by current co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough.
Hough then announced to the audience that Bergeron would serve as the evening’s “honorary guest judge.” As she welcomed her longtime friend back to the stage, she teared up and leaned on him for support.
“Hi sweetheart, I am thrilled to be here—what a rush,” Bergeron told Hough.
Their friendship spans nearly two decades. Julianne was a pro dancer from seasons 4 through 8, while Tom hosted the show from seasons 1 through 29, from 2005 to 2020. Hough became a host in 2023.
After the relay dance, Bergeron decided to talk to the network instead of the contestants. “You guys were great, but in my last comments as a judge, I want to speak directly to the network.”
Turning to the camera, he added, “This show is setting ratings records again, so next season, bring back the results show. Let the whole country vote. Let everybody vote.” The live audience responded with enthusiastic cheers.
Bergeron is referring to the former two-episode format of DWTS. In the past, the performances would be held on one night, where viewers could vote for their favorites. The next night, a results episode would reveal the eliminated couple.
DWTS put an end to the results show in 2013 and changed the format to a single, two-hour episode each week. Now, the eliminations are included at the end of the weekly show.
Bergeron recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the voting issue saying, “I always mourned the loss of that Tuesday show. I thought it made the voting more fair across the country, because the West Coast can’t vote now unless they’re watching on wherever the hell you’d watch it streamed live. The results show was great—it was like a variety show with an elimination at the end. I think the ratings now would really speak to it being time to bring that back.”
Reflecting on his departure from the show, he told the late Bob Saget’s podcast in 2021, “In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved. So at the end of the season that turned out to be my last season, I kind of knew. I took everything out of my dressing room that I really wanted… It was kind of obvious that we were kind of butting heads [behind the scenes]. It wasn’t a pleasant [experience].”
On November 12, a day after the reunion, Bergeron posted a video on his Instagram page thanking fans. “Sometimes even I’m at a loss for words. Thank you all SO much 🥰,” he wrote.
In the video, he started off joking that remarkably, he wasn’t hungover from the after-party. He then got choked up while thanking fans for their positive reactions to his return to the show. “I just wanted to take a second to thank all of you because the social media reaction… thank you,” he said.
Hough commented, “Your presence was everything! Love you so much, Tom ❤️.” A fan added, “Tom! Having your voice, wit & warmth there last night meant EVERYTHING to all of us fans. Happy tears were shed! Truly felt like you never left. You’re the best to ever do it! ❤️❤️❤️.”
Another chimed in, “Tom, you being there was such a moment of sunshine and happiness. We miss you on DWTS! Your wit, class, and empathetic approach were such an incredible fit. All the feels! Thanks for coming back!”
