'Dancing With the Stars': Tyra Banks to join as host, fans glad to see a 'Black woman in charge of s**t show'
ABC announced on Tuesday, July 14 that Erin Andrews, the co-host of the hit dancing reality show ‘Dancing With the Stars’, was exiting the show. The same day, the show’s original host Tom Bergeron, who served on 'DWTS' for 15 years, announced that he was quitting too. Fans were rather taken aback and slammed the network for letting go of two of their best co-hosts.
However, ABC didn’t take too long to find a replacement. On Wednesday, July 15, the network announced that former Victoria’s Secret Angel and producer Tyra Banks would be joining as the host and co-producer in the upcoming season of 'DWTS'.
In ABC’s press release obtained by CNN, Banks reportedly said, "I've been a fan of 'DWTS' since its beginning ... The fun mixed with raw emotion, seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones, the sizzling dance performances ... it's always transported me to my days of turning it up 10 notches on the catwalk. Tom has set a powerful stage, and I'm excited to continue the legacy and put on my executive producer and hosting hats.”
Fans quickly took to Twitter to congratulate Banks on becoming the next host of the dance reality show, with many saying that having a woman of color was “much needed." One wrote, "Being serious though, i do hope tyra brings about some much needed positive changes on the show and possibly serves as good influence for andrew's dumba** to make good decisions a black woman being in charge of this shit-show? very much needed imo."
Meanwhile, a few are of the opinion that no one can do justice to Bergeron’s role as a host and the show will never be the same without him. “Don’t get me wrong, Trya is a great & beautiful person but just understand that she just isn’t a good host and not on Tom’s & Erin’s level. Especially after hosting DWTS for such a long time. They made us feel like home. Personally, I like Tyra but not as the DWTS host sorry”, tweeted one.
And a few who are familiar with Banks’ hosting style from ‘America’s Top Model’ have expressed that 'DWTS' is going to display more drama and emotions going forward. While one wrote, “I think Tyra will be fine, just seems sad for Tom to be uprooted after being host all this time. Tyra gets on my nerves a bit with her dramatic way of speaking.”
Added another, “Tyra as Executive Producer and host of DWTS? Umm.. That's an interesting choice. I'm guessing a much more dramatic show than what we remember, and even lower list celebs than usual.”