Hours after it was revealed on Good Morning America that the next season of Dancing with the Stars will feature former Trump White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, the ABC show’s longtime host Tom Bergeron took to Twitter to voice his disapproval of the casting choice.
In a statement, shared via screenshot, with the caption “Some thoughts about today,” Bergeron explained that he offered his suggestions for the 28th season in a meeting with the show’s executive producer a few months ago. Bergeron recalled that he hoped the show “would be a joyful respite from our exhausting political climate and free of inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations” following its year-long hiatus.
The television personality, who has hosted Dancing with the Stars since 2005, did not explicitly name Spicer, though it is safe to assume he is referring to Trump’s first top flack, whose tenure was marred by repeated blunders.
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Though Bergeron wrote that he believed at the time that the producer agreed with him following their meeting, “subsequently (and rather obviously), a decision was made to, as we often say in Hollywood, ‘go in a different direction.’”
Ultimately, Bergeron placed responsibility with the producers and network “to make whatever decisions they feel are in the best long term interests of the franchise.” And he ended his statement on a positive note, writing: “Hopefully when Erin Andrews and I look into those lenses again on September 16, you’ll be on the other side looking back, able to enjoy the charismatic pro dancers, the unpredictable judges, and the kitschy charm that has defined DTWS since 2005.”
The news that Spicer will joining the cast was largely met with frustration and skepticism online, with Twitter users threatening to boycott and decrying ABC for giving a platform to the proponent of “alternative facts.”
Spicer will join fellow contestants Lamar Odom, Christie Brinkley, James Van Der Beek, and The Bachelorette’s Hannah Brown when the season premieres on Sept. 16. Read Tom Bergeron’s statement in full below:
