Bobby Bones, the podcaster, 45, made a heartfelt revelation on Monday, November 12, via TikTok, revealing that he no longer possesses the Mirrorball trophy he won for his 2018 Dancing with the Stars victory. This decision came in response to former DWTS host Tom Bergeron's recent comments to Parade magazine that "shocked" him.
Bergeron had said, "Bobby Bones was the first time I kind of — it was like ouch." In his TikTok response, Bones shared that he tries not to let his feelings get hurt, especially not by such matters. However, he felt "hurt" by the comments, not "because of what was said, but really who said it." He asked his followers what he was supposed to do in this situation, stating that he had no intention of being on Dancing with the Stars but was asked to promote a different show at the network.
Bones called the "amount of hate" he still receives years later "crazy," and said that people he respects, like Tom Bergeron and Julianne Hough, who also "strongly disagreed" with his win, continue to bring up his time on the series. He wondered aloud, "Like what did I do? I had a great attitude. I worked hard, and here we are, like six years later, I’m still catching strays out of nowhere."
He then reiterated, "So I sent the trophy back to ABC. I no longer have the Mirrorball trophy." While he "loved" his time on DWTS, Bones expressed his disdain for people like Tom or Julianne and others "taking random shots" at him and "taking all the joy away from my time on that show." He ended his video with a powerful message: "Go where you’re celebrated, not where you’re tolerated."
On Wednesday, November 12, Bergeron issued an apology for his comments. He posted a screenshot to his Instagram Stories of a direct message he sent to Bones, expressing regret over the remarks he had made about Bones' 2018 victory. The apology read, "Bobby, it wasn't my intention to hurt your feelings. My 'ouch' was based on my honest feeling that your win spoke to a need to address the balance between judge and viewer voting." He went on to say, "I always felt bad that you and Sharna [Burgess] had to deal with the aftermath of that win and I certainly regret pouring any salt into that old wound."
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.
