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There are multiple people who have permanently left “Dancing With the Stars” ahead of the upcoming season of the show, and several of those have been long-time cast members.
At the time of writing, no information about the official professional dancer roster for season 32 has been announced, but the judging lineup as well as the hosting lineup have been finalized. Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro will host the competition, while Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli will judge season 32.
Read on to learn more about who’s leaving the show ahead of the upcoming season.
Tyra Banks Is Leaving After 3 Seasons
Tyra Banks joined “Dancing With the Stars” ahead of season 29 of the ballroom competition, taking over hosting duties from Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. She was met with mixed fan reactions, but she has stepped down from her hosting duties, she first revealed in an interview posted by TMZ.
“I feel like it’s really time for me to focus on my business and on my entrepreneurship,” Banks said. “And producing more TV, but behind the scenes. I think it’s time to graduate from the dance floor to the stock market floor. Mic drop.”
Variety later announced that Julianne Hough would be taking over Banks’s duties on the show.
Len Goodman Ended His Long-Time Head Judge Tenure
During the season 31 semi-finals, Len Goodman announced that he will not be returning to judge “Dancing With the Stars” season 32.
“Whilst we’re all getting excited and looking forward so much to the finale next week, it will also be with a touch of sadness as this will be my last season judging on “Dancing With the Stars,” he shared during the live show. “I’ve been with the show since it started in 2005 and it has been a huge pleasure to be a part of such a wonderful show, but I decided I’d like to spend more time with my grandchildren and family back in Britain.”
He added that he was very grateful for his time on the ballroom competition and was looking forward to spending time with his family in Britain.
Cheryl Burke Retired After Season 31
Professional dancer Cheryl Burke announced her retirement from “Dancing With the Stars” during season 31 of the show, ending with a farewell dance during the season finale. Burke was the longest-tenured professional dancer on the show at the time of her exit, having joined in season 2 of the show.
In a November 29 episode of her podcast, “Burke In the Game,” the 38-year-old professional dancer got real about why she chose to leave the show after spending more than a decade working with the competition show.
“I will always be focusing on my own mental health, like I said before, I’m a work in progress, but that is not the reason for me leaving the show,” she said. “I left the show because I want to grow as a person, in my career and personally, to be quite honest. I’ve compared this breakup, in a way, to a divorce, so this will be my second divorce of the year. But this one is more amicable, as I’ve said in interviews.”
She has added that she has “no regrets” about leaving.
Mark Ballas Ended His Time With a Mirrorball Trophy
Professional dancer Mark Ballas returned from a five-season hiatus to dance with TikTok superstar Charli D’Amelio, and won the trophy over finalists Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy, Shangela and Gleb Savchenko, and Wayne Brady and Witney Carson. He announced his official retirement during the last leg of the “Dancing With the Stars” live tour.
“I just want to finish this by saying that this will be the last time you see me dance in this capacity,” he told the crowd. “I’m coming to a close tonight. This is gonna be my last dance. I had the best time ever this season, and this freestyle was a great way to finish it off. … Thank you guys for a lifetime of memories.”
“Dancing With the Stars” is set to return in the fall of 2023 on Disney+.