Getty Tom Bergeron responded to rumors that he could replace Pat Sajak on "Wheel of Fortune."
Could Tom Bergeron be the next Pat Sajak? The former “Dancing With the Stars” host responded to rumors he might take over for Sajak, who has become a mainstay of American television.
Bergeron, 68, posted a video of himself doing hip thrusters at the gym. “It’s impressive until you hear your hip crack,” he captioned the clip.
In the comments section, one fan suggested Bergeron was preparing for the “Wheel of Fortune” gig. “When you find out the WoF host gig is open,” they wrote.
But Bergeron rebuffed the claim. “No thanks. I’ve developed an aversion to wearing suits,” he answered.
Bergeron hosted “DWTS” for the show’s first 28 seasons, starting in 2005. However, he and his co-host, Erin Andrews, were let go in 2020.
They were replaced by Tyra Banks, who announced her own departure in 2023. The former “America’s Next Top Model” host said she wanted to focus on her businesses. “I think it’s time to graduate from the dance floor to the stock market floor,” Banks told TMZ. “I think it’s time.”
When “DWTS” returns in the fall for season 32, Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro will serve as the show’s co-hosts.
Why Is Sajak Quitting ‘Wheel of Fortune’?
Sajak, 76, has hosted the game show “Wheel of Fortune” for more than four decades but will be relinquishing his role next year. Sajak announced via Twitter on June 12 that he would retire in 2024.
“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last,” Sajak wrote. “It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!)”
For now, it’s not clear who will replace Sajak.
Other than Bergeron, other names that have been tossed around — according to Good Housekeeping and Heavy — are Bravo’s Andy Cohen, Ryan Seacrest, Sajake’s daughter, Maggie; Whoopi Goldberg and Vanna White, who has co-hosted the show for decades and filled in for Sajak in the past.
Why Was Bergeron Fired From ‘DWTS’?
Bergeron said he was fired from “DWTS” in 2020 for disagreeing with producers.
“In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved,” Bergeron said during a 2021 appearance on Bob Saget’s podcast, “Here For You.” “The end of the season that turned out to be my last season, I kind of knew. So I took everything out of my dressing room that I really wanted… It was kind of obvious that we were butting heads.”
One such incident was when “DWTS” producers cast former Trump White House press secretary Sean Spicer to participate in the series in 2019.
“A few months ago, during a lunch with ‘DWTS’ new Executive Producer, I offered suggestions for Season 28. Chief among them was my hope that ‘DWTS,’ in its return following an unprecedented year-long hiatus, would be a joyful respite from our exhausting political climate and free of inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations,” Bergeron wrote on his now-deleted Twitter account, as reported by The Wrap.
But, Bergeron said that he later discovered “DWTS” producers decided to go against his wishes.
“Subsequently (and rather obviously), a decision was made to, as we often say in Hollywood, ‘go in a different direction.’ It is the prerogative of the producers, in partnership with the network, to make whatever decisions they feel are in the best long term interests of the franchise,” Bergeron added, according to The Wrap. “We can agree to disagree, as we do now, but ultimately it’s their call. I’ll leave it to them to answer any further questions about those decisions.”