Was ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Canceled? Update On Season 28

Fans of “Dancing With the Stars” may be waiting a while to see a new season of the show, as the longtime host has indicated that the long-running ABC series will be taking the Spring season off in 2019.

Tom Bergeron took to Instagram following the Season 27 finale’s airing to joke about how he was being followed by Mirrorball trophies, but it was a reply to a fan's comment on the post that revealed the show’s status was more questionable than before.

“Truly hope DWTS is back in the spring!! DWTS is my favorite show!!” a fan commented on the image.

“Unlikely in the spring. Hopefully in the fall,” Bergeron replied.

That comment by Bergeron set off a firestorm from other fans who were wondering why the show may not be making a return again in the spring, which would mean the series was abandoning its signature two seasons a year. However, his comment that it would be “hopefully” back in the fall set off a different firestorm, as many questioned if the show’s entire fate was in jeopardy due to the results of Season 27, which saw Bobby Bones win the Mirrorball over fellow finalists Milo Manheim, Evanna Lynch and Alexis Ren, all of whom had higher scores than him.

Since Bones’ win, fans have been threatening to boycott the show unless the voting system was fixed, indicating that judges’ scores should start counting more than viewer votes, or that a judges’ save should be incorporated into the competition. Those calls came on Bergeron’s post as well.

However, as for the show not likely coming back in the Spring, it most likely has nothing to do with the hotly debated results of Season 27. ABC is bringing “American Idol” back for a second season in the spring, and in 2018, that show’s premiere pushed “Dancing With the Stars” back on the lineup. A short, 4-week, all-athletes season eventually aired, but both fans and the show’s cast expressed that they weren’t fans of it. It’s likely that in order to make room for the singing competition series that ABC has opted to avoid disappointing fans with a short season again, and will forego it entirely, coming back instead for the fall.

ABC has not officially revealed their plans for the show’s future.