Did “Dancing With the Stars” host Tyra Banks threaten to quit the show after the producers hired Alfonso Ribeiro as her co-host? That’s what one report says in OK Magazine.
Here’s what the magazine is saying and what some entertainment podcasters think is going on:
OK Magazine Reports That Banks Was ‘Livid’ When The Producers Hired Ribeiro
On July 14, “Dancing With the Stars” announced on social media that season 19 Mirrorball champion Alfonso Ribeiro would be joining Banks in the ballroom as her new co-host. Fans had been speculating that the show would try to bring back former host Tom Bergeron, especially after Bergeron even said returning executive producer Conrad Green would be the only person who could get him to come back.
But instead, the show hired a co-host for Banks in Ribeiro, which Bergeron was fully on board with, calling the re-hiring of Green and the hiring of Ribeiro the two “smartest decision[s]” the show has ever made.
But according to OK Magazine, behind the scenes, Banks was not happy about the decision to hire Ribeiro because she thought it showed a lack of faith in her.
“Tyra threatened to quit when she found out about the plans to add a co-host next to her when the show returns. Tyra was livid and feels betrayed — not [only] because the producers clearly have lost faith in her abilities to single handily carry the show, but also because no one had the decency to tell her what was going on until it was a done deal,” said the source.
Another source said, “Tyra is supposed to be an executive producer on the show. When she signed up to host, she insisted that she also be a producer to make sure she was sitting at the table where the decisions are made. Now it is clear that the title means nothing. They just gave it to her to shut her up. Well, they are messing with the wrong girl. Tyra walks when she is not happy. ABC should know that. When Tyra wasn’t happy with her way her daytime talk show was being produced, she quit. If Tyra doesn’t feel like she is being respected, she is gone.”
Entertainment Podcast ‘Who Weekly’ Thinks Banks Will Stick It Out for 1 Season Before Quitting
On the entertainment podcast “Who Weekly,” Lindsey Weber and Bobby Finger discussed the report from OK, saying that the story is “getting messy” because it sounds like she and Ribeiro are feuding, but they’re not.
In actuality, the story makes it clear that Banks is not mad at Ribeiro, she’s mad at the producers. But “Who Weekly” thinks she is probably a little miffed at him for taking the job.
“She probably feels a modicum of disrespect from him for thinking that he could take this job,” said Finger.
Weber added that she thinks Banks “generally demoralized by the fact that she’s been hosting the show and no one likes her as the host … I mean, Tyra Banks can do a lot of things well, but I would agree that hosting ‘Dancing With the Stars’ is not one of the things that she’s done well in her career.”
She continued, “I do believe this [rumor]. I do believe that Tyra Banks was not thrilled when they said we need to bring on someone to help you host. I think it makes her look bad and I think she knows it. And she’s had these hosting gigs like given and taken from her and I think she’s insecure about that and I would be too. You would be pissed. ‘Oh, we’re bringing you a guy to help you.'”
“Especially because it’s a man is irritating. She took over for a man and then it was like, ‘Oh, actually we need a man in here.’ That’s disrespectful, there’s no way around it,” said Finger.
They went on to discuss that the producers probably figured they needed “a light, likable figure” beccause that’s not the way Banks comes across, but they think she’ll stick around for one year before quitting.
“[S]he’ll probably end up leaving this, but I think she has to do one year of doing it together [with Ribeiro] just to prove that she can’t fail and get fired,” said Weber.
“And then it’ll just be Alfonso,” added Finger.
“Dancing With the Stars” returns for its 31st season on Monday, September 19, on Disney Plus.
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