Tom Bergeron Reacts to DWTS 500th Episode Milestone

Tom Bergeron revealed if he will attend the taping for “Dancing with the Stars’” 500th episode.

More than four years after he was let go from his longtime hosting role on the Emmy-winning ABC celebrity ballroom competition, the former host posted to Instagram to share a throwback photo of a visit to the “America’s Funniest Videos” production office after that show—another he hosted for the network—hit its 500 episode milestone.

“Any show gets to 500 episodes is amazing,” Bergeron wrote on November 9. “Here’s a throwback nod to one of them.” He added, “I hear rumors there’s another one. Seriously congratulations.”

Bergeron captioned the post with, “Kudos & Congrats to the ‘Footwork With the Famous’ folk (I like alliteration 🤷🏻‍♂️😉) 🪩.”

The Emmy-winning host also responded to a fan who asked if he was planning to attend the DWTS 500th episode. “Are you gonna be in the audience next week?!?! 😩 we miss you ❤️,” the fan asked in the comment section.

“I won’t be. On the wrong coast,” the New England-based Bergeron replied.  “However,” he added, “I’m happy to have been on the launch pad back in 2005 for a show hitting 500 episodes & approaching 20 years on the air. THAT’S some fancy footwork! 👍🏼”

Bergeron has been jokingly referring to “Dancing With the Stars” as “Footwork With the Famous” for years. According to People magazine, in 2020 he changed his Twitter bio to read, “Former Co-Host of ‘Footwork With the Famous.’” While he is no longer on the social media platform since it changed to X,  Bergeron still refuses to refer to his former show by name, as seen in his Instagram posts.

Bergeron’s new message comes days before “Dancing With the Stars” will mark its milestone 500th episode with a special episode. On November 12, 2024, the season 33 contestants will pay homage to iconic performances from the past 32 seasons, per an ABC press release. Since its debut in 2005, DWTS has featured 51 pro dancers and 394 celebrity contestants, the network reported.

Tom Bergeron Was Hurt By the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ 30th Anniversary Tribute

In 2020, Bergeron was let go from his hosting role on “Dancing With the Stars” after 28 seasons. He was replaced by Tyra Banks. Bergeron admitted he knew the writing was on the wall after he butted heads with executives and a new showrunner over the direction the show had taken.

He was at peace with his departure. Bergeron even joked to E! News that the only thing he missed from the show was “the paycheck.” “There are some people I miss, but I’m really happy not hosting,” he added.

Still, when season 30 in  2021 rolled around he was hurt by a production snub. “You know what really hurt the most,” he told former pro dancer Cheryl Burke on her “Sex, Lies and Spray Tans” podcast. “For their 30th season, they did a whole special and they didn’t have one clip of me in it. There was not even a clip at all. ”

“I didn’t watch it, but I got all kinds of tweets and texts from people. And I thought, you know, that’s bull [expletive]. That kind of stuff is really petty, I think. So, I didn’t watch it but when I was told ‘There wasn’t even a clip of you.’ I thought okay, alright.”

Cheryl Burke Thinks It Was a Mistake to Let Tom Bergeron Go

Bergeron was the host of “Dancing With the Stars” from 2005 through 2019.  In 2020, both he and co-host Erin Andrews were let go. Tyra Banks served as host through 2022. The following year, Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough took over as co-hosts.

In November 2024, Cheryl Burke spoke on her “Sex, Lies and Spray Tans” podcast to say she thinks producers screwed up by letting Bergeron go. “It was a mistake when they got rid of Tom and Erin, I will always say that,” she told her listeners. “But I do think that Alfonso and Julianne are fitting for the time we’re in.”

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