Fans of “Dancing With The Stars” were shocked over the summer when Tom Bergeron, who had hosted the ABC show since it premiered back in 2005, was abruptly fired and replaced by supermodel Tyra Banks. Now, judge Derek Hough is speaking out to reveal how he really feels about Banks replacing Bergeron.

“I think she’s doing great. I think that one, you can’t really compare the two,” he said of Banks and Bergeron. “I think they’re so different. You know what I mean? It’s completely different approaches and different styles. And I think she’s doing a great job. I think coming into a show that’s been on for 29 seasons, that’s a huge undertaking.”

“There’s a lot of expectation there. But I think she’s doing a wonderful job. And the live aspect and the fun and the flow and the energy, there’s so much to the show and there are so many moving parts. I applaud her, and I think she’s doing a great job,” Hough added to Fox News. “And I’m proud of the show. The show in general, like you said, has been doing so well, and that’s the whole goal. That’s the goal of the show is to bring some joy and bring some entertainment to people, and that’s what it’s always been.”

“And I have to say, too, that the show itself, you can frame it differently, you can decorate it differently with different things, but the heart of the show will always remain, which is the journey of the celebrity and the pro together and how they sort of tackle this challenge of ballroom and Latin dancing. It’s pretty wild, but it’s been a ride so far,” he concluded.

Immediately after Bergeron’s firing, Hough spoke out to talk about how “shocked” he was by the decision.

“My initial reaction — I guess I was pretty shocked. Tom Bergeron is such a staple of ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ and he’s a good friend of mine. We’re friends, and he’s a good man and he’s been there since the beginning, and he’s just a great guy,” Hough said back in July. “But you also understand that we’re in the entertainment industry, nothing is certain, and there’s always these efforts to reinvigorate and switch things up. So, you look at that and go, that’s also understandable, I think.”

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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