Tom Bergeron, the longtime host of “Dancing With the Stars,” was disappointed in this season’s casting.
He took to social media on Wednesday to post a lengthy statement explaining his feelings about which “celebrities” will be featured on Season 28 of the hit reality competition series, in particular referring to how Sean Spicer, President Donald Trump’s former White Housepress secretary, is a contestant.
Bergeron wrote how he hoped the new season “would be a joyful respite from our exhausting political climate and free of inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations.”
He described how he met with “DWTS” new executive producer (Andrew Llinares) to make his feelings known and he left their lunch “convinced we were in agreement.”
“Subsequently (and rather obviously),” Bergeron wrote, “a decision was made to, as we often say in Hollywood, ‘go in a different direction.’”
“We can all agree to disagree, as we do now, but ultimately it’s their call,” he continued. “I’ll leave it to them to answer any further questions about those decisions.”
Bergeron made a pledge to the show’s fans: “For me, as host, I always gaze into the camera’s lens and imagine you on the other side, looking for a two-hour escape from whatever life hassles you’ve been wrestling with. That’s a connection and a responsibility which I take very seriously, even if I occasionally season it with dad jokes.”
In response to Bergeron’s post, “DWTS” executive producer, Andrew Llinares, told Fox News in a statement on Wednesday: “We’ve got a great and diverse cast. We are excited about the season.”
“The nice thing is, Sean will be in charge of assessing audience size,” Bergeron joked, making innuendo about the controversy over the crowd size at Trump’s 2017 inauguration.
This season features Christie Brinkley, “The Bachelorette” Hannah Brown, “Queer Eye” star Karamo Brown, country singer Lauren Alaina, “Dawson’s Creek” star James Van Der Beek, NFL legend Ray Lewis, former Fifth Harmony singer Ally Brooke, NBA star and Khloe Kardashian ex-husband Lamar Odom, “Kenan and Kel” star Kel Mitchell, former Supremes singer Mary Wilson, and “The Office” star Kate Flannery.
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