ABC Erin Andrews and Tyra Banks on DWTS
Former Dancing With the Stars host Erin Andrews has opened up a bit about life after DWTS, including how she thinks Tyra Banks is doing as the new host and what she is up to this fall — hint: it involves football.
Erin Andrews Says ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Isn’t the Same Without Tom Bergeron
In an interview with Extra, Andrews says it was a surprise when she got the phone call about being fired from the show and she quickly commiserated with her colleague, longtime Dancing With the Stars host Tom Bergeron.
“Oh my gosh, I text Tom like once a week [since we were left go], absolutely, and the dancers too,” said Andrews. “That’s a family – I obviously danced on the show and worked on the show for so many years, so I always call it the Dancing With the Stars mafia. Once you’re in, it’s very hard to break away. It’s a very tightknit group. Sasha [Farber] and I will DM, I’ve gotten lovely messages from the dancers and so forth. Yeah, we’re very tight.”
She also said the show is just not the same without Bergeron, adding, “I used to say this all the time – Tom was my ballroom quarterback … he was the end-all, be-all of that show.”
But Andrews Says ‘Good For Her’ About Tyra Banks Taking Over as Host
When Extra’s Jenn Lahmers said that Andrews’ “wit and humor” are going to be missed on the show, Andrews added with a laugh, “And a lot of awkwardness, walking in heels.”
“I feel like Tyra’s got that down perfectly, she can nail the smizing and the walking in gowns and heels, so, good for her,” said Andrews.
In a separate interview with Watch What Happens Live, Andrews was told by host Andy Cohen that Banks said it “will be a challenge” to step into Andrews’ shoes, which Andrews said was nice to hear.
“That’s better than her saying, ‘It’s gonna be easy taking over for this broad!’ So I guess that’s great?” Andrews said with a laugh, adding, “I think that Tom’s shoes are a little harder to fill. He’s the guy, the’s the quarterback of the ballroom. So, that’s nice of her, but he’s the man, and he was the man on that show.”
Andrews Is Keeping Busy With the NFL Season and Her New Clothing Line
As for what she’s doing now that she’s no longer hosting Dancing With the Stars… well, remember, Andrews never stopped being a sports reporter.
She told Extra that she’s “so grateful” the NFL was able to figure out a way to hold the 2020 season in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m so grateful that the NFL is going and that we’re having a season. I feel like the NFL brings people together with their friends and — this one chokes me up a bit — with their families. And a lot of us can’t be with our families right now, so how great will it be to watch Sundays and Thursday nights and Mondays with NFL football and be able to call – I know I can’t wait to talk to my dad about the season,” said Andrews.
She is also keeping busy with her “Wear by Erin Andrews” line of sports apparel, which now carries college teams in addition to professional teams.
“We just came out with a new college line and for the 16th annual College Colors day … you can get a bunch of SEC schools, some Big 12, some Big Ten, and yeah, we’ve got a selected number of schools. You can check it out on Fanatics and then later on in the season we’re going to have some more styles,” said Andrews.
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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