Cue the confetti: Tom Bergeron is back on Dancing With the Stars! The beloved original host of ABC’s long-running competition series is returning as a guest judge for Season 34’s ninth episode, “The 20th Birthday Party,” airing Tuesday, November 11. And though Bergeron’s rejoining the DWTS family for just one night, it’ll be especially sweet to see him celebrate the series’ major milestone, sitting alongside judges Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Derek Hough.
With just seven competing couples left (the winner is announced on November 25), showrunner Conrad Green previously teased the installment: “We’re going to have a competitive round that involves ex-champions of the show in a way that we’ve never seen before, we’ve got a very special guest judge, who sort of brings the whole family back together, and we’re going to have an amazing opening number where Derek has worked with [music director] Ray Chew to recreate our theme music and tell the story of 20 years of the show with our pros and returning pros from the past.”
And now we have official confirmation that the “very special guest judge” is in fact Bergeron, who served as the show’s comforting father figure host for the first 28 seasons before announcing his departure in July 2020.
Below, the candid Bergeron exclusively talks to TV Insider about his triumphant return to the ballroom.
Congratulations! You’re back. People are going to lose it when they hear this news. How did this happen?
Tom Bergeron: Well, I have to give all credit to Conrad Green, who was my first showrunner back when we premiered in 2005. And I’m happy to say he’s back in that role currently, and boy has he righted that ship. I mean, wow. The numbers, I texted [executive producer] Deena Katz and I said, “I’m particularly enjoying watching the show beat The Voice.”
ABC/Kelsey McNeal
Numbers don’t lie. And the people are loving Dancing With the Stars.
The numbers don’t lie. You know, I was getting my hair cut in New Hampshire [where Bergeron resides], and a couple of the younger trainees at the salon came over to say hi. And I said, “You know, I started in 2005. Where were you in 2005?” And one of the gals went, “I wasn’t born yet.”
For a show that’s 20 years old to be enjoying a ratings resurgence is a real tribute to Conrad, everybody behind the scenes, and everybody in front of the camera as well.
You had mentioned to me the last time that we spoke for TV Guide Magazine’s Dancing With the Stars Special Collector’s Issue, that you had had a meeting with Green and discussed potentially coming back. How did you land on this guest judge capacity?
Well, it was the exact scenario that I proposed. I said, “Look, I’m just gonna charge you scale, but I want a nice donation to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, and I come back as a guest judge.” If I came back and sat in the audience, I’d go crazy. I’m too fidgety and I’m sure I’d make some sort of trouble.
You could certainly make some trouble as a guest judge, too.
It is live TV, and I’m gonna be sitting next to Bruno, so… but it’s funny, Bruno and I actually texted each other and I said, “No slight on Carrie Ann, whom I love, but I think there’s more comedic potential if I’m sitting next to you, Bruno.” And he said, “Oh, yeah.”
Have you thought about having to sit at the judges’ table and watch your friend Alfonso Ribeiro do this job? You’ve seen him on TV, of course, but you’re physically in the room. Are you looking forward to being that close to him?
Yeah. I’m anticipating that it’s going to be a wonderfully emotional, nostalgic night. In the audience will be a number of past champions and competitors. There’s a special dance challenge that is going to factor into the anniversary night that will evoke even more nostalgia. It’s going to be great. And I’ll tell you, it’s so much fun to watch my friends do the work. I don’t have to throw to commercials. I don’t have to worry about the timing. I’ll be respectful and sensitive of what Alfonso has to deal with, ’cause I’ve been there. But I’m just looking forward to being in an environment surrounded by people I really care about on live television, where there’s no second take. It’s my happy place.
Have you been back to the ballroom yet?
I hosted the memorial for Peter Marshall, the original host of Hollywood Squares, and that memorial was on the sound stage right across the hall from Dancing With the Stars. That was November of last year. So, I did stroll over with James Yarnell, who’s the set designer [for DWTS] to just take a look at what they had done. But I was in and out in like 60 seconds.
But that moment just felt different. Conrad has really done a lovely job of reaching out to me and offering an olive leaf, and we’re friends, and so, in the past 12 months, when this idea popped into my head, [I thought] “Yeah, I think I’ll be very comfortable spending a lot more than a minute there.”
Now you’ve been watching this season?
Yeah, I picked it up a couple weeks ago and really settled in for the Halloween show [October 28] because Cheryl [Burke, pro dancer] was coming back and she’s a good friend. I figured I should do my due diligence and get to know who’s left and what their basic proficiency is.
Are you taking notes in preparation for your guest judging?
No, and as a matter of fact, I’m really curious to see what it is the judges are writing all the time. You know, Carrie Ann has a journal that Tolstoy would envy, and Bruno and Derek are writing stuff. To me, that’s like texting when you’re driving. Watch the dance. You’ll remember what happened.
So would you describe your guest judging style as being pretty relaxed?
It’s going to be very similar to my hosting style: somewhat loose and unpredictable.
I love that. Is there anything else that you want to say to fans looking forward to seeing you return for this massive milestone moment?
Well, I will offer an apology. I kind of deliberately misled some people on social media who had kind of guessed, “You’re coming back as a judge, right?” And I [said], “Well, I may be traveling, so at the very least, I want to send a video message.” I tried to throw them off the scent a little bit. I was remembering how Andrew Garfield handled the lead up to the last Spider-Man movie he was in, when everyone said, “You’re gonna be in Spider-Man, right?!” And he’s going “I haven’t heard anything.” I tried to go Andrew Garfield on them.
Dancing With the Stars, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC
For a more extended celebration of two decades 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 now.
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