Alfonso Ribeiro Reveals If He Would Have Taken Tom Bergeron’s Hosting Gig On ‘DWTS’
Alfonso Ribeiro is speaking out regarding the recent firing of Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews from the ABC hit, Dancing with the Stars. Earlier this month it was reported that Tom would not be back as host of the dancing competition after the 65-year-old shared a post on social media letting fans know the network was moving on without him.
Alfonso, who was crowned champion of DWTS in Season 19, is one of the show’s biggest successes and most memorable cast members. Extremely dedicated to the competition, Alfonso took home the Mirrorball trophy with partner Witney Carson and built a friendship with Tom along the way.
Now, the Catch 21 host is commenting on if he would have taken the hosting job if it was offered to him after Tom had been let go. The actor recently sat down with Us Weekly to share his thoughts.
“If the circumstances were very different, that might’ve been something that I might’ve been interested in doing. I certainly would not have been interested in Tom being fired and me being hired to do it. I mean, I already took over for him on [America’s Funniest Home Videos],” he noted. “I never want to take someone’s job like that. Yes. That has nothing to do [with] whoever you’re hiring of course, but because I’m so close to him, it just wouldn’t have felt right to do if they approached me.”
In 2015, Alfonso took over Tom’s hosting duties on America’s Funniest Home Videos, but the actor remembered that as a different situation. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star said Tom left the series on his own accord and wasn’t fired, which made him feel better about taking over the hosting gig.
Since Tom was fired from DWTS, Alfonso felt he couldn’t move into that position based on the circumstances.
The 48-year-old also admitted he has been in touch with Tom since the news broke earlier this month. According to Alfonso, he never would have made the decision to let go of Tom and Erin, and he believes it would have been a smarter move to cancel the program altogether. Dancing with the Stars is reportedly getting a revamp, and Tyra Banks has been brought on to host.
Alfonso went on to say that if the ABC execs wanted to do something different with DWTS, they should have scrapped the series and started over with something new. The hit competition show will return to ABC in the fall, in its normal 8 p.m. spot on Monday nights. In what capacity the show will return remains to be seen.
