Season 32 of Dancing With the Stars will see an all-new combination of hosts bring humor, empathy, and excitement to the ballroom as Julianne Hough will make her highly anticipated return to the show to co-host alongside returning fan-favorite Alfonso Ribeiro.
The hosts have changed a few times in the last handful of seasons, following over a decade of consistency with Tom Bergeron. In fact, there have been eight different hosts and co-hosts, with a few others sprinkled in as temporary replacements during a season.
Here’s a look at every host who’s graced the ballroom from season one all the way to today.
2005 – 2019: Tom Bergeron becomes the first and longest-running host
Tom Bergeron, a TV personality, actor, and comedian, was the host of Dancing with the Stars from its very first season in 2005 until 2019, departing the show after season 28. The hosting gig was nothing new for Bergeron, who’d hosted Breakfast Time from 1994 to 1997, Hollywood Squares from 1998 to 2004, and America’s Funniest Home Videos from 2001 to 2015. Bergeron was beloved by fans on the show and his hosting work was recognized by the Emmy Awards as he received nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program and won the award in 2012.
During his time on Dancing With the Stars, Bergeron became well known to the show’s fans for his quick wit and one-liners, but according to one pro dancer, he was an integral part of the family behind the scenes.
Cheryl Burke appeared on Chris Harrison’s The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever in March 2023 and revealed that Bergeron hosted mid-season parties for the cast and crew. “He’d come on Sundays during camera blocking,” she added. “Though he probably wasn’t getting paid for it, he still wanted to interact with everybody.”
2005 – 2009: Tom Bergeron is joined by Lisa Canning and Samantha Harris for the first 9 seasons
The first season of Dancing With the Stars featured Lisa Canning as Bergeron’s co-host. The TV and radio hostess and actress had previously appeared on soaps like The Young and the Restless and General Hospital and was an on-air correspondent for Entertainment Tonight, as her IMDB bio states.
However, she was replaced after just one season by Samantha Harris, who would go on to co-host seasons two through nine, from 2006 to 2009. At the time, a rep for the show told Variety, “A decision was made to go in a different direction.”
Harris, an entertainment reporter, model, and actress, described her role as co-host as a “dream job” but decided to step away ahead of the 10th season to focus on her other commitments, including her work as a correspondent for The Insider. “I loved every single second of it and I’ve made lifelong friends at the show,” she told People at the time. Bergeron told the publication that he was going to miss working with her and they had a “nice rapport off-camera and on.”
During Harris’ time on the show, she was briefly replaced for three weeks in season five back in 2007 when she went on maternity leave. Her replacement host was Drew Lachey, the winner of DWTS season two.
2010 – 2013: Brooke Burke joins Tom Bergeron as co-host for 8 seasons
After Harris’ exit, Bergeron was joined on the ballroom floor by Brooke Burke, who co-hosted seasons 10 through 17 from 2010 to 2013. Burke, a TV personality and host, was no stranger to the ballroom as she’d appeared as a contestant in season seven and won the Mirrorball trophy with her professional partner Derek Hough.
Burke was replaced as co-host in 2014 and Us Weekly reported from a source that she was blindsided by the news. “Everyone loved [Brooke], but the execs wanted a whole new show,” the source told the publication and claimed that execs hoped Burke’s replacement (Erin Andrews) would bring in “young male” viewers for the show. Burke wrote about her departure on her blog and said she would have liked to have gotten more of a heads-up as the decision was taken just weeks before the season 18 premiere.
However, she described it as a “positive change” with “no hard feelings and no regrets.” She wrote that it was a “blast,” adding, “I am very grateful for my time at DWTS and I’m never greedy – eight seasons
was the perfect run.”
2014 – 2019: Erin Andrews co-hosts alongside Tom Bergeron for 11 seasons
Erin Andrews stepped in to replace Burke in 2014 and co-hosted the hit ABC show from seasons 18 through 28. The Fox Sports reporter also danced on the show before becoming a host, placing third overall in season 10 of Dancing With the Stars with her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy. She was temporarily replaced by actress Leah Remini (and season 17 contestant) for a few nights in seasons 19 and 21 due to her commitments with the World Series.
Andrews left Dancing With the Stars in 2020 along with Bergeron in a major shakeup that saw Tyra Banks replace them as the sole host going into season 29. While Bergeron and Andrews’ exits sent shockwaves among the fans of the show, Andrews later said that it was actually the best thing for her at the time. “My schedule has been so crazy with [football commentating], the clothing line, the podcasts… trying to have a baby, that I think it was the best thing for me,” she told Us Weekly in 2021.
2020 – 2022: Tyra Banks replaces Tom Bergeron for 3 seasons from season 29 to season 31
Bergeron’s exit from Dancing With the Stars in 2020 came as a huge shock to fans as he tweeted in July 2020 that the show would be going on without him, People reported. Soon afterward, ABC made the news official, telling the publication in a statement that the show was heading in a “new creative direction.” Banks, a model, actress, and TV personality known for hosting America’s Next Top Model, was announced as Bergeron and Andrews’ replacement.
Bergeron opened up about his departure from the show in October 2021, sharing on Bob Saget’s Here for You podcast that “the show that I left was not the show that I loved.” He said he’d been butting heads with producers behind the scenes for some time, especially over his public criticism of the network casting a political person, ex-White House press secretary Sean Spicer, in season 28.
After three seasons hosting the show, Banks announced in March 2023 that she would be stepping away from DWTS to focus on her other ventures, telling TMZ, “I think it’s time to graduate from the dance floor to the stock market floor… from the ballroom to the boardroom!”
2022 – present: Alfonso Ribeiro joins Tyra Banks as a co-host in season 31 and is announced as the main host for season 32
Alfonso Ribeiro, who’d gained experience co-hosting DWTS in season 21 when he briefly stepped in for Bergeron, was announced as Banks’ co-host for season 31. Ribeiro joined the ranks of former contestants who made the switch to hosts as he competed in season 19 of the show and won the Mirrorball with his partner Witney Carson.
Ribeiro got Bergeron’s seal of approval when he was named as a permanent host ahead of season 31. The former DWTS host posted a side-by-side photo of the two men on Instagram and wrote that it was one of the execs’ “smartest decisions,” adding, “Congratulations, buddy!” Ribeiro wrote that he was hoping to make Bergeron proud, to which he replied, “I have no doubt.”
After Banks’ exit was confirmed, Ribeiro was tapped as the new host as ABC announced that he’d be joined by Julianne Hough. Ribeiro told Us Weekly that he had Banks’ love and support, saying “She was very happy for me, and she decided to leave. So, she was very happy that I was the person that, kind of, was moved up into her slot.”
2023 – present: Julianne Hough is the latest to join the show as Alfonso Ribeiro’s co-host for season 32
Former DWTS pro and judge Julianne Hough was announced as Ribeiro’s co-host for season 32 and she has said she couldn’t be more thrilled about it. She described Dancing With the Stars as “family” and said coming back as a host was a “full circle moment” in an interview with Variety.
“At the end of the day, personally, I am my happiest self when I’m surrounded by my family,” she shared. “This show is family.” Bergeron had nothing but love for Hough’s move into hosting duties as well, as he posted on Instagram, “Glad the show’s in good hands. Their feet ain’t bad, either.” Hough replied to Bergeron, “These feet could never fill your shoes, but I’ll bring my own and hope I do you proud! I absolutely learned from the best! I completely and utterly adore you.”