‘Dancing With The Stars’ Champ Reveals ‘It’ll Be Hard’ To Watch Season 29 After Host Shake-Up

Fans aren’t the only ones who are unsure of the decision to fire Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews and replace them with Tyra Banks on “Dancing With the Stars.” One of the show’s former champions is also speaking out and indicated he won’t watch Season 29 either.

In an interview with US Weekly, Season 29 champ Alfonso Ribeiro revealed that he wasn’t overly happy with the move the show made, which saw original host Bergeron and his most recent co-host both axed, with banks set to take over and also serve as an Executive Producer and hinted that he may not be able to watch the show anymore because of the change.

“I’ve texted back and forth with Tom. I would’ve never made that decision, obviously. I think Tom and Erin are the backbone of the show,” he said. “I have no idea where they’re going to go and what changes they want to make and why and how these decisions were made. But I think people like myself will absolutely miss Tom and Erin. It’ll be hard for me to see the show in whatever new form it is.”

He repeated the comments as he also indicated the show would have been better off canceled, but also stated he wished the best for the former “America’s Next Top Model” host.

“Sometimes I look at things and I say, ‘Why don’t we just make a new show?’ And then we just make that show and then cancel the one that you’re chopping up. Right?” he said. “We love Tom, and Tom to me is the best host on television... I definitely wish Tyra the best. I mean, Tyra got kind of her start in acting on ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.’ And I went to grade school with Tyra. So I’m hoping that she does a great job. But it’s hard. It’s going to be hard for me to watch it without Tom in there.”

Ribeiro’s comments come after fans indicated they thought that if Bergeron had to be let go as a host, that they wanted the Season 19 champ to take his place.

However, Ribeiro admitted that he also wouldn’t take the gig in this situation, because while he did take Bergeron’s place on “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” the circumstances were different, and he wouldn’t want to be responsible for someone else losing their job, especially Bergeron.

“...I never want to take someone’s job like that,” he said. “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.”

Bergeron has also spoken out about his being let go from the show again, revealing that while some may think he and Andrews were let go because they are white and the show got rid of them as a part of the Black Lives Matter Movement, that wasn’t the case at all.

Ribeiro is also not the only one who has discussed the surprising firing recently. Peta Murgatroyd, one of the pro dancers on the show, has also spoken out and revealed that letting the two hosts go was something that was incredibly shocking and upsetting to all the pros, but that they would all see what happens with the fresh start that banks would bring to the show.

“To be honest, I was shocked. I was sad. I was sad that chapter of the show is done and it made me emotional on the call. I was, like, ‘Oh, my God, Tom’s not going to be there anymore? Like, he is the show,’” she said. “I’m not disregarding [Erin]. She’s been incredible and an amazing host and somebody who had been through the show before with my husband, Maks. The way that she gave insight into celebrities and she could relate to them, I think really took the show to another level. But, a fresh start! Let’s see what happens.”