Dancing with the Stars: Tyra Banks Reportedly Clashing With Len Goodman
Tyra Banks is the new host and executive producer of Dancing with the Stars and she's reportedly already butting heads with one of the show's judges, Len Goodman. In July, it was announced that Banks would be replacing the longtime hosts of the show, Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, for Dancing with the Stars season 29.
With Tyra Banks as DWTS host, there is a new and fresh vision for the show and its operations. When it comes to judges who have been with the show for (almost) 29 seasons, her new direction for Dancing with the Stars is allegedly being met with resistance. Sources reportedly told OK!, "Len is 76-year-old and doesn’t think there is anything wrong with the show." The sources added, "Len thinks Tyra has no respect for the art of ballroom dancing and instead wants to turn the show into Keep Up With The Kardashians." While Len seems to be proud and dedicated to DWTS, Tyra's stance is still largely an unknown. However, she did recently tell CNN: "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."
Apparently, Banks' ideas are negatively affecting the judges, and also bothering devoted fans. The show has been on the air since 2005 and has developed a passionate and committed fanbase; these fans are hesitant about the changes. "Tyra has taken over completely. She is an executive producer as well as the host and wants to change the show to a point where it’s long-time fans won’t recognize it anymore. The only person that is standing up to her is Len, which as you can imagine isn’t going over well," sources said (via Showbiz Cheat Sheet).
Tom Bergeron's departure from Dancing with the Stars was also an upset. After 28 seasons, ABC let him go from the show, which he announced on Twitter earlier this summer. He posted, "Just informed @DancingABC will be continuing without me. It’s been an incredible 15 year run and the most unexpected gift of my career. I’m grateful for that and for the lifelong friendships made. That said, now what am I supposed to do with all of these glitter masks?"
It's understandable that judges, cast, and crew who have been with the show since its inception (or for many years) don't want changes to DWTS. While it's still unclear how exactly the new host plans on shaking things up, the former model and America's Top Model host definitely comes with a different background than most of the people on the show. DWTS will be returning in just a few weeks, and we'll have to tune in to see how all of these changes affect the series. Will tensions continue to rise between the host and judge?
Dancing with the Stars is set to return to ABC on September 14 at 8pm ET.
Source: Showbiz Cheat Sheet