‘DWTS’ Host Tyra Banks Admits She Was ‘Confused’ After Being Asked To Replace Tom Bergeron

Tyra's opening up about her first reaction to ABC offering her the gig.

Tyra's opening up about her first reaction to ABC offering her the gig.

New Dancing with the Stars host Tyra Banks has revealed her reaction after she was asked to take over from Tom Bergeron. Ahead of her debut in the ballroom tonight (Monday, September 14), Tyra admitted that she was actually “confused” when the offer was first made.

She made the confession in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, where she recalled the first thing she said when her agent told her about the offer from ABC.

“‘I can’t dance.’ I was confused for a second,” she said.

Tyra also teased that she won’t hold back when it comes to taking on the judges and is willing to take them on if she disagrees with their opinions. She revealed she has one in particular target in her sights.

“I can’t wait to go head-to-head with Bruno Tonioli, six feet apart!” she joked, referring to the new social distancing guidelines.

Tyra also looked back on some of her previous brushes with the dance world, including her cameo in Michael Jackson’s music video for “Black or White”.

“I forgot the dance moves, so I’m the only one in the video doing something wrong and sticking my tongue out,” the America’s Next Top Model star said.

Tyra also spoke about her eponymous talk show, which ran for five seasons between 2005 and 2010.

Though she said she was glad she did it, she also admitted that she wouldn’t bring it back because it was so emotionally draining.

“I had a show that dealt with a lot of challenges for people who were struggling. I took that home sometimes and had to deal with it personally. I’m still happy that I did it but I wouldn’t do it again.”

Tyra’s new role as host of DWTS has been met with mixed responses since it was announced in July that she’d be taking over from Tom and co-host Erin Andrews. Many fans have voiced their displeasure that the former will not be at the helm of Season 29, as he’s served as co-host since the show first began in 2005.

Tyra spoke out about the backlash earlier this month. She admitted that she hopes those who initially criticized her hiring change their minds when they see her in the ballroom.

“I hope they say, ‘You know what, I’m going to stick with this.’ Like, ‘Wow… I was wrong about that,'” she said in an interview with Glamour.

Tyra added she knows she has some big “shoes to fill” when taking over from Tom and called him “very, very talented.”

Dancing with the Stars Season 29 debuts on ABC tonight (September 14).