Radio personality Bobby Bones has made the dramatic decision to return his coveted Mirrorball trophy to Dancing with the Stars, six years after his controversial win. The move comes as a direct response to comments made by former show host Tom Bergeron, which Bones described as deeply hurtful.
The Spark That Ignited the Controversy
The situation unfolded when Tom Bergeron, 70, who hosted the popular dance competition for many years, gave an interview to Parade magazine. When discussing surprising moments from his tenure, Bergeron identified Bobby Bones' season 27 victory in 2018 as the most shocking win he had witnessed.
Bones, a 45-year-old podcast host, responded directly to these remarks in an emotional TikTok video posted on Wednesday. He expressed his disappointment, stating the comments were painful not necessarily because of their content, but because of who made them.
Bones' Emotional Response
In his social media video, Bones played a clip from Bergeron's interview where the veteran host said, "It's funny you're asking about eliminations. The thing that shocked me most was a win. Bobby Bones. Bobby Bones was the first time it was like, 'Ouch.' No disrespect to Bobby. He would probably say the same thing."
Bones countered this perspective by explaining his initial reluctance to even participate in the show. "What was I supposed to do on that show? I didn't even want to be on the show," he revealed, explaining that American Idol executives made the decision for him while he was working as a mentor to promote another programme.
He passionately defended his work ethic, asking: "Am I supposed to not show up and work hard? Am I supposed to not give it freaking everything that I have? Am I supposed to throw it and not win?"
The Aftermath and Bergeron's Apology
The radio host announced his decisive action: he had sent his Mirrorball trophy back to ABC. His reasoning was straightforward: "I sent the trophy back. They don't want me to be a part of the show, obviously, so I don't want to be somewhere that doesn't want me to be there."
He concluded with a poignant statement: "I'm out. Nobody wants me there anyway, so go where you're celebrated not tolerated. But yeah, the Bergeron thing hurt a little bit I'm going to be honest with you."
Following Bones' public response, Bergeron took to Instagram to issue an apology. The television legend explained that he had been overwhelmed with interviews ahead of his return to DWTS as a guest judge and was "bound to say something inelegantly."
Bergeron shared a screenshot of his apology to Bones with the caption: "Sorry, Bobby. Sometimes I should fall back on my mime training."
The original win by Bones and his professional partner Sharna Burgess in 2018 was considered a major upset, as the radio personality had been widely viewed as one of the season's weaker technical dancers.
