Fans Call for Firing of Key Longtime ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Staff Member

Some fans of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” want a long-time behind-the-scenes member of the crew let go ahead of season 31.

Deena Katz serves as the casting director of “Dancing With the Stars.” There has been no indication that she will not be part of the upcoming seasons of the show. She even took the professional dancers out to lunch in early May 2022.

Former “Dancing With the Stars” host Tom Bergeron has previously shaded the casting director as “tone deaf” as well. Katz serves as the casting director for FOX’s “The Masked Singer,” and she received backlash for casting Rudy Giuliani. According to Slate, Katz has been booking celebrities on “Dancing With the Stars” since 2004, when it premiered.

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Fans Called for Katz to Leave ‘Dancing With the Stars’

In a Reddit thread, some fans of “Dancing With the Stars” have asked that Katz leave the show.

“Should Deena Katz stay on as the casting director of the show?” the question asks.

There was a poll attached to the question, and 110 people answered no while 34 answered yes.

“No,” one reply reads. “I think getting a new casting director might get some more interesting contestants. I never realized she cast so many of these celeb based reality shows, which explains why so many of the same celebs either show show up or we get the same type of celeb.”

Another person wrote, “No – casting RG on The Masked Singer is a new low and shows that she has learned nothing from Season 28. She could easily go that direction again and it would be toxic for the show.”

“Still annoyed Giuliani was casted on ‘The Masked Singer’ shows Deena hasn’t gotten the message that no one wants these type of people on,” another reply reads. “I’m so tired of politicians especially corrupt Maga politicians being on the show.”

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Tyra Banks May Be Out as Host

According to a report by The Sun, a source said in April 2022 that while there is no new host in place, it “doesn’t look like Tyra will be back.”

“There is no official decision on who will be hosting next season but it doesn’t look like Tyra will be back,” said the source. “Which would be a network decision, not her decision.”

The source also talked about the recent season, and though it was a success because people did like the contestants, there were some behind-the-scenes issues, the report states.

“Production has been a mess, with no clear direction of where [the show] was going, which is why certain producers have been axed in recent months,” said the source.

Andrew Llinares was an executive producer on the show until March 2022, when he officially stepped down from the show, according to Deadline. He served as executive producer on the show for five seasons.

There was also a report by The Sun in late 2021 that the show was looking to replace Banks as the host.

“Dancing With the Stars” will return in the fall of 2022 in a new home. The show will now air live exclusively on Disney+ instead of on ABC.

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