After spending almost a quarter of his life as a presenter of “Dancing With the Stars,” Tom Bergeron, the 65-year-old presenter of the ABC ratings giant, was removed from the show, he announced on Twitter on Monday afternoon.
“I just reported that @DancingABC will continue without me,” he wrote. “It has been an incredible 15 years and the most unexpected gift of my career.”
ABC and BBC Studios, the show’s producer, He said in a joint statement that “Dancing With the Stars” would pursue “a new creative direction” and that Bergeron would not be part of it. Erin Andrews, the sports broadcaster and former contestant on the show, who had been a co-host with Bergeron since 2014, was also out, according to the statement.
Andrews, who announced his departure on Twitter this morning, thanked Mr. Bergeron and the cast of the show for making his six seasons with the show memorable. “I will always appreciate my days on set, even if I wasn’t the best at walking in heels,” she wrote.
Bergeron, a comical man known for his wit and charisma, is the only star who has featured all seasons of “Dancing With the Stars” since its debut in 2005. Although the show had once been regular at the top of the charts. ratings, the audience had been declining in recent seasons. Last fall’s season finale drew the show’s smallest audience for a final episode.
Last year, Bergeron publicly voiced concerns about the decision to include political guests on the show.
The comment came after the show decided to include Sean Spicer, a former White House press secretary and director of communications for President Trump, as a contestant.
Mr. Spicer took the stage for the season 28 premiere in a striking yellow shirt with highlighted ruffles and tight white pants. His shimmy to the Spice Girls’ “Spice Up Your Life” alongside Lindsay Arnold, a professional dancer, was less than technically sound.
He joined several Republican-affiliated contestants who had appeared before him, including Bristol Palin, the daughter of Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice presidential candidate; and Rick Perry, the former governor of Texas who ran for president.
Bergeron said he had met with the show’s new executive producer without success in an effort to ensure the show “was a joyous respite from our exhausting political climate and free from inevitably divisive reservations of ANY party affiliation.”
“We can agree to disagree, as we do now, but ultimately it is your decision,” he wrote on Twitter last August.
Prior to his tenure as “Dancing with the Stars,” Bergeron was the face of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” the viewer-originated television series that he hosted for 15 seasons. He also hosted the “Hollywood Squares” game show from 1998 to 2004.
Their departure was an unwelcome surprise: Mr. Bergeron told “Access Hollywood” in 2012 that he wanted to host the show “until I am dragged kicking and screaming off set.” But even in the midst of his shock on Monday night, Bergeron managed to crack a final joke.
“Now what am I supposed to do with all these glitter masks?” he tweeted.
