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Tom Bergeron<\/strong><\/a> is owning up to a comment he now wishes he\u2019d phrased differently.<\/p>\n The longtime Dancing With the Stars<\/em><\/a> host found himself walking back remarks he made about Bobby Bones<\/strong><\/a>\u2019 surprising 2018 Mirrorball Trophy win. In a November 2025 Parade<\/em> interview, Tom admitted he remembered thinking \u201cOuch\u201d when Bobby was announced as the season\u2019s champion \u2014 a comment that didn\u2019t sit well with the radio star, who later revealed he actually sent his Mirrorball back because of the lingering negativity.<\/p>\n Once Bobby expressed that the remark hurt him, Tom stepped in to clear the air publicly.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Bobby,\u201d Tom wrote in a November 13 Instagram post. \u201cSometimes I should fall back on my mime training.\u201d<\/p>\n He paired the comment with a screenshot of a private message he sent Bobby explaining what he meant by the original statement.<\/p>\n \u201cBobby, it wasn\u2019t my intention to hurt your feelings,\u201d Tom wrote. \u201cMy \u2018ouch\u2019 was based on my honest feeling that your win spoke to a need to address the balance between judge and viewer voting.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom, who hosted DWTS<\/em> for nearly two decades before exiting in 2019, clarified that his reaction wasn\u2019t meant as a jab at Bobby\u2019s dancing but rather at how the fan-voting format played out that year. He also said he felt sympathy for Bobby\u2019s pro partner, Sharna Burgess<\/strong>, who dealt with backlash after their win.<\/p>\n \u201cI always felt bad that you and Sharna had to deal with the aftermath of that win,\u201d he continued. \u201cI certainly regret pouring any salt into that old wound.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom added a brief acknowledgment that he had been doing a marathon of interviews for the show\u2019s milestone season and worried he\u2019d \u201csay something inelegantly\u201d along the way \u2014 which he now believes he did.<\/p>\n Bobby responded to the interview with his own frustration. In a November 12 Instagram post, he wrote that despite giving the competition his all, he\u2019s \u201cstill catching strays\u201d six years later \u2014 which led him to return the Mirrorball Trophy to the show.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a great attitude,\u201d he shared. \u201cI worked hard and here we are six years later\u2026 so I sent the trophy back. They don\u2019t want me to be a part of the show, obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, runner-up Milo Manheim<\/strong>, who lost to Bobby in one of the show\u2019s most debated finales, has since taken the high road. Earlier this year, he admitted he once felt \u201crobbed,\u201d but now believes second place ended up being the \u201cbetter\u201d outcome.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople come up all the time now, and they\u2019re just like, \u2018You killed Dancing with the Stars<\/em>,\u2019\u201d he said on The Zack Sang Show<\/em>. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t think I would be getting that validation had I won. So, it\u2019s really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n