ET has learned that the executive producer is leaving the show after five seasons.
Tom Bergeron is reacting to a recent Dancing With the Stars shake-up. ET has learned that Andrew Llinares is stepping down as executive producer of the ABC show after five seasons.
Deadline was first to report this story. Llinares joined DWTS in 2018, and oversaw big changes in the franchise, including the decision to replace Bergeron with Tyra Banks as host before season 29 and also getting rid of Erin Andrews as co-host.
On Thursday, Bergeron reacted to a fan who asked for his thoughts on Llinares' departure from the show. The 66-year-old TV personality tweeted, "Karma’s a b**ch 😉."
Last October, Bergeron said he wasn't surprised that he was let go from the show in 2019 after 14 years as host.
Speaking with the late Bob Saget on his podcast, Bob Saget's Here For You, Bergeron recounted the events leading up to his exit, many of which involved the inclusion of former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer as a contestant on DWTS. Bergeron, who was vocal about his disapproval at the time, noted that it wasn't about supporting one political party over another.
"Whether it was somebody I voted for or didn't, I didn't think a political person was an appropriate booking for the show, but also for the time we were going to be on, which was really on the cusp of the presidential election campaign, so we differed on that," he explained. "I was public about that. I don't think that sat well with the producer or the network."
Bergeron added that he didn't really mourn his exit from DWTS. "The show that I left was not the show that I loved. So at the end of the season that turned out to be my last season, I kind of knew," he admitted. "So I took everything out of my dressing room that I really wanted because I felt it was kind of obvious that we were kind of butting heads. It was great to have Erin [Andrews] at my side because she and I just kind of locked arms and did the show."
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