Getty Images The tribute to Len Goodman has reached 1 million views on YouTube.
Season 32 of “Dancing With the Stars” was the first since Len Goodman’s death. The longtime head judge said his goodbyes during season 31, announcing his retirement from the show. What many people know at the time, however, is that Goodman had been diagnosed with cancer and he didn’t have much time left. He died a few months later.
On the 2023 season of the dance competition show, several ballroom pros teamed up to pay tribute to Goodman. A dance to “Moon River” was choreographed by Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson. The breathtaking dance left nearly everyone in tears, and fans talked about the waltz for weeks.
As of January 2024, the video shared on the official DWTS YouTube channel had hit 1 million views.
Here’s what you need to know:
Fans Still Tear Up Watching the Len Goodman Tribute
Many “Dancing With the Stars” fans have said that they watch the Len Goodman tribute video over and over again — and that each time, they’re just as emotional.
After the YouTube video reached its big milestone, someone shared it on Reddit, where fans reacted.
“It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve watched it I WILL cry every time,” one person wrote.
“Such a beautiful dance. Funny you posted this today, cause I was thinking about Len earlier today,” someone else added.
“I’m probably like 200 of those & I still cry every time I watch,” a third fan said.
“Let’s get to 2 million,” a fourth Redditor suggested.
“I just teared up looking at the thumbnail lol,” another comment read.
The dance featured pros past and present. Several OGs returned to the ballroom for the special night, including Mark Ballas, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Tony Dovolani, Kym Herjavec, Edyta Sliwinska, Karina Smirnoff, Anna Trebunskaya, and Louis van Amstel.
Other dancers who participated in the tribute included Derek Hough, Julianne Hough, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Peta Murgatroyd, and many more.
Carrie Ann Inaba & Bruno Tonioli Were Very Emotional Following the Dance
As the pros took to the ballroom floor, Goodman’s longtime co-judges and friends, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, watched from the audience.
One of the most emotional moments from the tribute occurred when the professional dancers looked over at the middle seat at the judge’s table where Goodman sat for so many years. It was during this moment that the camera panned to Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli who hugged one another while breaking down in tears.
Fans were left completely gutted seeing Tonioli unconsolable as he remembered his dear friend.
Although he isn’t super active on social media, Tonioli did take a moment to post about Goodman on his Instagram feed after learning of his death.
“Heart broken my dear friend and partner for 19 years the one and only ballroom legend #lengoodman passed away I will treasure the memory of our incredible adventures and hundreds of shows we did together @bbcstrictly @dancingwiththestars they will never be anyone like you we will miss you,” he captioned an Instagram post on April 24, 2023.
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