The return to ABC isn’t the only change coming for the long-running series. Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will judge season 32, following the passing of judge Len Goodman last month. Former winner Alfonso Ribeiro has been promoted to emcee for the series, and Julianne Hough has been named as his new co-host. Unfortunately for former host Tyra Banks, the time has come to pack up and head home.
While “Dancing with the Stars” will return to ABC, it won’t actually leave Disney+. The show will still be available to stream at the same time as the broadcast, so anyone who bought Disney+ to watch “Dancing with the Stars” instead of “Star Wars” or Marvel shows won’t have paid in vain. The initial decision to make “DWTS” a Disney+ exclusive came from the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution division, an arm of the Disney empire that no longer exists following the return of Bob Iger as Disney CEO.
On paper, forcing the “DWTS” fanbase to subscribe to Disney+ is a great idea, but considering that the demographic of hardcore viewers are the same people who need their grandkids to explain to them that the celebrities they love send messages on Facebook are just scammers, perhaps “DWTS ” was not the best option in practice. Season 32 of “Dancing with the Stars” is scheduled to air this fall, but no contestants have been announced as of press time.