‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 30: Is Tyra Banks Returning to the Ballroom?

Tyra Banks Dancing With the Stars

ABC

ABC’s Dancing With the Stars has officially been picked up for a monumental season 30, leaving many fans to question which of the celebrities will be returning for the new season.

According to Us Weekly, Tyra Banks will once again be returning to the ballroom, which may not be a surprise for many viewers, as Banks is also an executive producer on the show.

Banks joins returning judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman. It’s unclear whether Goodman will return physically or be part of the show in some other way like he was during season 29.


Banks Will Return as Host for Season 30

Banks will return to the show once again as the host. Her first season aired in 2020 when she took over from long-time hosts Erin Andrews and Tom Bergeron. Fans had mixed reviews of Banks, but the celebrities on the show really seemed to enjoy her presence.

In an interview with the Hollywood Life podcast, professional dancer Jenna Johnson opened up about filming Dancing With the Stars season 29 and how she felt about Tyra Banks as the host, saying that Banks is really sweet.

“The only times that we really get to interact with [Banks] are on show days and she is so sweet, such a gem,” said Johnson. “She is so grateful to be there and you feel it from her energy every time she’s there and interacting with you.”

In an interview with Extra early on in the season, former Dancing With the Stars pro and current judge Derek Hough said that he thought production was happy with her and he thought everyone liked her, even after a mistake was made in the announcement of the bottom two in the third episode of season 29.

“You know, the producers came up afterwards and were actually thanking Tyra,” he shared. “They were like, ‘Thank you so much,’ like, ‘You handled that so well.’ There was a technical situation happening in the booth.”

Pro dancer Britt Stewart shared her support for Banks in an interview with Pop Culture Magazine.

“You know, I really like Tyra,” she said. “She’s a really awesome woman. She goes out of her way to stay connected with us. She personally called all the celebrities, she called us before the season, throughout the season just to check in. So, I know that she really cares about being on the show and doing a great job. I think sometimes that goes unnoticed.”


Banks May Earn More for Season 30

According to OK Magazine, Banks would like to make more money on DWTS next season.

The report, which followed the season finale of the show, claimed that Banks would be seeking more money next time she stepped out into the ballroom as the host and executive producer.

“Tyra is an incredible talent who knows her worth,” the source reportedly told the magazine. “She has taken a franchise that was a little past its prime and made it into the show everyone is talking about, but even more important than the buzz is the ratings she has been delivering too. At the end of the day, Tyra is a businesswoman, she deserves a lot more money to return next season.”

According to the same report, insiders have said that long-time hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews were making around $150,000 per episode each. Bergeron was apparently paid over $3 million a year to host.

“Tyra can make the argument that she is doing the work that previously took two hosts,” an insider told OK. “So, combine what they paid Tom and Erin together, then add in a little for her huge ratings success, and we have a deal. Tyra is worth it.”

Dancing With the Stars returns in fall 2021 for an all-new season.

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