Tom Bergeron glided back into the ballroom with a flourish, his return to the star-studded reality competition series, Dancing With the Stars, for its 20th anniversary show as a guest judge, a grand entrance following the pro dancers' opening song. The 70-year-old declared, "Live from Hollywood, it's the 20th birthday party of Dancing With the Stars."
Current cohost Julianne Hough choked up as she welcomed him alongside Alfonso Ribeiro. "Hi, sweetheart," Tom said. "I'm thrilled to be here tonight. It's such a rush."
Given his tumultuous exit from the show in 2019 after 15 years as emcee, Tom's return was highly anticipated—even as he took on a new role for the episode. But he wasn't the only OG to return for the special "Birthday Party" night, as the season one dance pros Alec Mazo, Charlotte Jorgensen, Jonathan Roberts, Ashly DelGrosso, Edyta Sliwinska, and Louis van Amstel also made their way back to the ballroom.
The episode featured a major twist: for the relay round, the stars wouldn't be dancing with their professional partners but would instead perform a Quickstep, Viennese Waltz or Jive with a returning Mirrorball champion.
Before he pulled out the paddle to deliver his scores for the remaining season 34 contestants—Alix Earle, Robert Irwin, Whitney Leavitt, Dylan Efron, Andy Richter, Elaine Hendrix, and Jordan Chiles—he shared insight into his exit. "I'll be honest with you," Tom admitted to The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on November 10. "I didn't like the showrunner. He knew that. I didn't like being lied to, and he did that. So when he got fired, I think when Twitter was still a thing, I posted, 'Karma is a b---h.'"
Given his beef with production, why would Tom return to the ballroom? Well, when Conrad Green—DWTS' original showrunner—came back to run season 31 after leaving the ABC series following season 27, the former America's Funniest Home Videos host was more than satisfied. "I couldn't be happier that the people who are running the show now are running the show," he explained. "But to be honest, the 20th anniversary, in other people's hands, would not have lured me back."
"It was really because Conrad's there," he continued. "Just look at what the show is doing. It's having a resurgence. It's doing things that I can't imagine many, if any, 20-year-old shows have done. They've been on a ratings tear." Tom added that he was stunned by the show's recent success, adding, "You're more likely to see a zebra playing the piano than watch the success they're having."
