“Dancing with the Stars” is moving to Disney+ for its next two seasons. In a shocking twist, the long-running series will relocate from ABC to Disney+ this fall with its 31st installment. The show has also been renewed through Season 32.
“‘Dancing with the Stars’ has entertained fans for 16 years on ABC, and we are excited to bring this beloved show exclusively to Disney+ as the platform’s first-ever live series,” Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, said in a statement Friday. “The show’s broad appeal, as well as the overwhelming popularity of its Disney-themed competition nights, make Disney+ the perfect home for ‘Dancing with the Stars’ while continuing to expand our demographic reach.”
“’Dancing with the Stars’ has been a beloved staple on ABC for 30 seasons and brought so much joy to millions of viewers,” Dana Walden, chairman of Entertainment, Walt Disney Television, said in a statement. “As we’re significantly expanding our unscripted slate at ABC, this is a great opportunity to introduce this show to a whole new generation of fans on Disney+. We’re so grateful to our incredible partners at BBC Studios and look forward to continuing our relationship with them on this spectacular series, which will continue to be overseen by Rob Mills and the talented Walt Disney Television Alternative team.”
“Dancing with the Stars” will be the first live show to air on Disney+. The series premiered in June 2005 and was a massive hit for ABC through the early 2010s, airing twice a season and twice a week on Mondays and Tuesdays. Due to dwindling ratings, “Dancing” was cut down to one episode a week starting with Season 17 in fall 2013 and then once a year beginning with Season 28 in fall 2019. Season 30 concluded in November with Iman Shumpert, paired with Daniella Karagach, becoming the first NBA player to win the Mirrorball trophy.
The news also comes less than a month after executive producer Andrew Llinares, who joined in 2018, parted ways with “Dancing.” Among Llinares’ changes to combat low ratings and to “evolve” the show was the dismissal of OG host Tom Bergeron and co-host Erin Andrews in July 2020. They were replaced by Tyra Banks, who’s been divisive in the “Dancing” fandom. It is unclear if Banks or any of the judges — Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli — will return at the moment.
Asked to weigh in on Llinares’ departure last month, Bergeron tweeted, “Karma’s a bitch.”
Karma’s a bitch 😉
— Tom Bergeron (@Tom_Bergeron) March 17, 2022
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