“I’ve been a fan since it first came on,” admits a smiling Alfonso Ribeiro, chatting during a break from this TV Guide Magazine cover shoot for the competition series’ 20th anniversary. “A dance show on TV — I was like, ‘Ooh, I got to check this out!’” the charming host says of falling in love with Dancing. “It took 19 seasons for me to get on as a contestant and now to cohost with Julianne [Hough], it’s incredible.”
When Dancing premiered in 2005, Ribeiro had plenty of acting and directing gigs under his cummerbund. He’d been dancing since he began his career at 8 years old in Broadway’s The Tap Dance Kid. But one piece of fancy footwork stuck out. He’d famously created what became a staple of ’90s pop culture, an exaggerated dance called “The Carlton,” for his rich-kid character on NBC‘s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a breakout role where he played the cousin to streetwise lead Will Smith.
In 2014, Ribeiro finally had his chance to show TV audiences much fancier moves. He became a contestant on Season 19 of Dancing and was paired with pro Witney Carson. The actor had a spectacular start, scoring a 9 from each judge in Week 1. “People don’t really understand what it takes to work for an entire week on a dance routine,” he says, “something you’ve never done before, walk out onto that stage and be willing to not only do it in front of America but get judged.”
But things didn’t always go so smoothly in Ribeiro’s first time as a competitor. The actor shares that in one rehearsal — for his Week 8 Batman-inspired cha-cha routine — his zip line across the ballroom jumped off the track, leaving him hanging about 15 feet above the ground without a harness. “They tried to bring a ladder, but it was too short,” he recalls. “They got another ladder. I still had to jump down to it! This was a moment that luckily was not live on television.”
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Despite Ribeiro’s unplanned bit of choreography, he and Carson went on to win the competition, beating runners-up Sadie Robertson (Duck Dynasty) and pro Mark Ballas. “It is the greatest moment when you’re told by Tom [Bergeron] and Erin [Andrews] that you won the Mirrorball,” Ribeiro reflects.
Bergeron became a force in Ribeiro’s career, suggesting the actor succeed him as host of ABC‘s America’s Funniest Home Videos, which he did in 2015. “Tom gave me great advice: ‘They trust you. They love you. Trust and believe in yourself. Be yourself. ’ Without Tom, this doesn’t happen.”
Then, in 2022 for Season 31, Ribeiro returned to the dance floor to cohost the show alongside Tyra Banks. “We were live. There were no commercial breaks. It was one of the most frightening moments of my life knowing that for two hours-plus I had no opportunity to go to the bathroom. That was pure fear, y’all!” Ribeiro says with a laugh.
After Banks departed in 2023, Ribeiro became the main host, with Hough at his side. What is it that makes Ribeiro such a warming presence on our screens? “Connection to our professionals, the judges, the contestants, but most importantly, Julianne,” he admits. “We have a second language where we don’t even need to say things. We recognize the comedic moment and don’t feel the need to rush.”
Experience as a contestant also informs his current role. “You watch someone make a mistake, recognize their mistake, and then turn around and continue to the end. We know what it feels like to be in that situation,” Ribeiro says. “I have such empathy for what they’re going through.”
The actor is still emulating the man who helped him get his dance shoe in the door, saying, “Tom was always the heart of this show,” he notes. “I try to be the loving father figure for the celebrities when they come over to me. I want to be there for them with support, love, comfort and trust that they can achieve whatever they want to achieve.”
Ribeiro has a few dream celeb contestants. “I want Will Smith. He keeps saying he can get jiggy with it!” Ribeiro says, referencing his former costar’s famous ’90s lyric. “Jennifer Love Hewitt would be fantastic. She’s a fan and has been in the audience many times. A buddy of mine, Steve Young, Hall of Fame quarterback for the 49ers. We love having great NFL players. What this show does incredibly well is connect the heart to entertainment. Typically, the [celebrities] who go a long way are the ones who give their heart.”
For a more extended celebration of two decade of Dancing With the Stars, from exclusive interviews to retrospectives and must-see photos, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Dancing With the Stars 20th Anniversary special issue, available for purchase online at DWTS.TVGM2025.com and on newsstands August 29.
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