Tom Bergeron is “confident” he’ll quickly bounce back after being let go from “Dancing with the Stars,” one source is claiming.
“He’s not worried,” the insider told Closer Weekly on Wednesday. “[Tom is] one of the most competent hosts out there. He’s professional and gets the job done, but he’s a realist and he knows that Hollywood is about luck first and talent second. His only concern is will [lightning] strike again?”
According to the outlet, the 65-year-old learned he wasn’t going to be returning to DWTS after ABC and producer BBC Studios announced they were taking the hit series in a “new creative direction.” The longtime on-camera personality, who has part of DWTS since Season 1, was replaced with Tyra Banks.
“Was he blindsided? Yes, but he’s big into meditating so he’s pretty zen, he’s not the type of guy to hold a grudge,” the source claimed. “He’s [let] things go. So he’s happy about Tyra Banks getting the job. He likes to say, ‘That’s showbiz.'”
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Tom Bergeron
(ABC)
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The insider alleged that Bergeron “wasn’t expecting to be out of a job” so suddenly. But thanks to his decades-long success in entertainment, Bergeron is “hopeful he’ll land a job soon.”
“One thing I know is that Tom isn’t ready to retire,” claimed the source. “He loves getting up and going to work. Tom will keep on doing what he’s been doing — reading books, catching up on shows and classic films and puttering around his home doing repairs and projects. He’s keeping busy and not worried about the future. I’m certain he’ll land on his feet.”
Following the shocking announcement, Bergeron gave a lighthearted reaction.
“I guess I won’t be getting back my monogrammed towels,” he tweeted as an indirect response to him and Banks having the same initials.
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Earlier this month, it was announced that Banks, 46, will be the new solo host of the hit competition series’ upcoming 29th season after news broke that Bergeron and co-host Erin Andrews would not be returning. Bergeron initially took to Twitter to reveal the news.
He even struck a light tone in his first tweet announcing that he wouldn’t be returning to the show, jokingly writing: “Now what am I supposed to do with all these glitter masks?”
In a statement provided to Fox News, a representative for the star explained that the move was ultimately the network’s call.
“ABC opted not to pick up Tom’s option. In the fine tradition of Hollywood cliches, they’re ‘Going in a different direction,’” the statement reads.
In a joint statement from ABC and BBC obtained by Fox News, the networks assured that “Bergeron will forever be part of the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ family.”
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“As we embark on a new creative direction, he departs the show with our sincerest thanks and gratitude for his trademark wit and charm that helped make this show a success,” the statement read.
Additionally, ABC and BBC confirmed that co-host Erin Andrews, 42, would not be returning as well.
“Erin will also not be returning, and we appreciate all that she brought to the ballroom,” the statement said. “Fans have been rooting for her since she originally competed as a contestant back in 2010, and her signature sense of humor has become a hallmark of the show.”
Andrews took to Instagram with her own confirmation of her departure.
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“Thank you ABC and the entire Dancing with the Stars family for 6 memorable seasons,” she wrote. “Those years wouldn’t have been as special without my loving host Tom Bergeron, the talented dancers, and witty judges. I will always cherish my days on set, even if I wasn’t the best at walking in heels.”
Banks recently appeared on “Good Morning America,” where she discussed her new position as host of the show.
“OK, let’s just keep this real. It is going to be so next level,” she said when asked what fans can expect from the revamped series going forward.
She continued: “We’re doing all this crazy stuff, taking it to the next level but still keeping the stuff that we know America loves. But get ready because it’s going to be different.”
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The host noted that Banks is breaking barriers by being the first Black woman to host “Dancing with the Stars,” given that Bergeron has been with the show since it debuted in 2005. She was also the first Black model to be featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
“I like breaking those doors down so that we don’t have any more firsts,” Banks said, noting that she hadn’t thought about the “DWTS” accolade in those terms. “But it’s nice to be first right? So that you can open that door and let so many other people after you. I’m excited, yeah.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there’s currently no word on when the next season of “Dancing with the Stars” will go into production.
Fox News’ Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.
