‘DWTS’ Alum Brooke Burke Questions Her Firing From the Show

Model and television personality Brooke Burke co-hosted “Dancing With The Stars” for seven seasons, from its 10th to its 17th installment, following her stint as a contestant in season seven. Now, years later, the 54-year-old is opening up about her firing, revealing that it raised several questions for her, including whether her dismissal was about culture.

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Burke appeared on a September 2026 episode of “The Tamsen Show” podcast, where she discussed her career in depth. During the conversation, her time on “Dancing With the Stars” came up, and she addressed her much-talked-about exit.

First, the icon recalled having an “epic and amazing” time as co-host of the popular ABC competition series. Burke also spoke about relationships she built with the show’s staff, revealing that many of them remain intact today.

After that, she began discussing her firing, saying, “My contract was up; it was being renegotiated.” However, despite the discussions, she received a call from one of the show’s producers, who informed her that she would not be returning for season 18.

Burke stated that they told her they were “making a change.” Notably, her dressing room on the show’s set was being repainted at the time, signaling her plans to continue co-hosting.

Brooke’s Firing Raised Several Questions For Her

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Burke’s dismissal from “Dancing With the Stars” took an emotional toll on the media personality. Specifically, she wanted to understand why the producers, and perhaps the network, didn’t see fit to let her continue hosting despite her being so beloved by viewers.

According to her, “Was it me? Nobody that loves you breaks up with you. If they really loved me, was I good enough? What kind of work was I really bringing to the ballroom? Was it my age? Are they looking for a change? Was it culture? Was it ethnicity?”

Regarding coping with the change, Burke was forced to “chalk it up as that’s the industry and sometimes it’s time for change, and maybe there was a bigger reason unknown to me, which is the hard part of navigating the industry.”

The Former ‘DWTS’ Host’s Firing Came At The Worst Time

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Burke continued her interview by noting that she was raising her four children and building a new home when she was fired. In revealing her thought process at the time, she shared, “In the best-case scenario, I was like, I’ve been here for eight years, I won Dancing with the Stars, amazing. I had the privilege and the blessing to host the show. Holy sh-t, what am I going to do?”

The model then said, “My options and my commitment as a mother- I wasn’t going to really explore a lot of the opportunities because I wanted to be home first and foremost; my priority was to be a mother.”

From there, the podcast host asked if Burke had ever received an official reason for the “Dancing With the Stars” producer’s firing.

She responded, “There really wasn’t an answer, other than they wanted to make a change. The host they chose was very relevant at the time, maybe press-worthy. Maybe there was some harmony there with sports and hosting with Erin. She did an absolutely fine job.”

For context, sportscaster Erin Andrews replaced her on the show.

Brooke Previously Discussed Her Exit In 2024

Burke has been open about her 2014 “Dancing With the Stars” exit in the years since, including in a 2024 interview on “Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone.” During the interview, she was asked whether she’d had “enough” of the show before being fired.

Burke responded, “I probably had enough, but then when you leave something and you think you’ve had enough, you kind of, in hindsight, look back and want a little bit more.”

She continued, “As a host, when you’re on a live show, it was a long time, and I think I was ready to do other things. But I think it’s shocking when there’s a change in our business, just to humanize it, to be honest, to be vulnerable. I think it was really disappointing. I wasn’t expecting it.”

Burke Remains Busy Today

Burke has maintained an active profile in entertainment following her “Dancing With the Stars” exit. In 2017, she launched a digital fitness app and platform, Brooke Burke Body. This came after her 2012 fitness video series of the same name.

Additionally, she joined The CW’s “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” as the show’s host during its 10th season and continued into its 11th, which ended in May 2026.