DWTS Cast Member Leaving Ahead of Season 33

ABC Valerie Bruce leaves production team.

On July 9, BBC Studios Productions announced that General Manager of the Los Angeles-based Productions unit Valerie Bruce is leaving. Bruce worked behind-the-scenes on a variety of shows, including “Dancing With the Stars” for more than a decade. The news was confirmed by Deadline.

Bruce was in charge of the team that produced “Dancing with the Stars.” Her departure from the studio will cause a shift that may or may not impact DWTS in the future.

“In a fast moving and constantly changing business in both the UK and U.S., it makes sense to bring our Unscripted Entertainment and Scripted teams in Los Angeles closer to our UK teams to maximize the opportunities we’ve identified between both markets,” Matt Forde, MD, Global Entertainment, BBC Studios Productions said in a statement of the changes (via Deadline).

Bruce graduated from the University of Kentucky. She has held roles with The Sundance Channel and MTV Networks over the course of her career. Season 33 of DWTS is set to premiere on September 17, 2024.

Fans Reacted to the News That Valerie Bruce Was Leaving Her Post

Following the news that Bruce was parting ways with BBC Studios Productions, fans took to Reddit to share their feelings.

“I’m fine for restructuring things behind the scenes, but when Andrew took over as show runner he didn’t get the audience and made horrible changes. So I hope this doesn’t turn into a similar situation,” one person wrote.

“Hopefully this helps revive the pro cast. These current producers, including Valerie, are insanely close to some of the pros and I’m sure thats a big part of why a lot of pros are staying way past their time and we are having little change,” someone else added.

“I won’t lie, I am curious if this will effect the cast or if it’s just the beginning of people getting the boot before the new season starts. Valerie was close to a lot of pros but I think production in general is, and that’s one reason there hasn’t been a lot of turnover,” another Redditor said.

“I wonder if this will lead to higher quality standards for DWTS, like how we talk about DWTS being like the Temu version of Strictly lol. Looks like the goal isn’t just to downsize and save $$$ in LA (I think London is one of those places like Atlanta where their filming tax breaks are gutting the entertainment industry in Hollywood),” a fourth comment read.

Valerie Bruce Seemed to Have a Good Reputation

While details surrounding Bruce’s departure from BBC Studios Productions aren’t clear, it seems she was very well-liked and respected.

“Valerie is incredibly pragmatic and even-keeled, and generally one of the most rational people, no matter what the predicament is we may be facing on any given day of production,” said Ryan O’Dowd, an executive VP at BBC Studios (via NextTV). “She’s unbelievably adept at managing talent situations, networks, staff,” O’Dowd added.

Following the news that Bruce wouldn’t be returning to her post at the company, Forde offered warm sentiments.

“I’d also like to pay tribute to Valerie who has driven significant commercial growth across all of our production activities in LA,” he said (via Deadline).

“We wish her all the best,” he added.

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