Tom Bergeron to Bristol Palin Conspiracy Theorists: 'F*ck You.'
After a dozen years of consistent emceeing, Tom Bergeron remains one of TV's best and funniest hosts. On Hollywood Squares he traded spicy innuendos with Whoopi Goldberg, and as the host of Dancing with the Stars and America's Funniest Videos he lends a stately air to glitzy proceedings. We caught up with the Emmy-winning Massachusetts native to discuss his favorite funny people, hosting nightmares, and his impatience with Bristol Palin conspiracy theorists.
You have a really smart, droll hosting style that's caught on with America for years. Not to denigrate America's intelligence, but are you surprised by that?
You know, I don't really think about it in terms of having a style. I just kind of basically amuse myself and it usually strikes me as fairly infantile. I'm glad you think it's smart! Particularly with live TV, I have a really good time reacting in the moment to things that are going on around me. I try to think of the viewers' perspective too. If something looks silly to me, I'm guessing it probably looks silly to the viewer and there's no harm in pointing that out. Having said that, on the dancing show, I'm very protective of the couples and the effort they put forth. Everything else is fair game -- the spray tans, the glitter, the extremes of kitsch that we employ. But it seems to work anyway. I think there's an underlying respect for the show that's obvious, and from that foundation I can then poke fun at some of the more extreme elements.
Which couples on Dancing with the Stars have you felt compelled to defend this season or in past seasons?
Nobody in particular, but in general it'll be at any point where I think the judges are going after them and being either unfair or inconsistent in what they're saying to one couple versus another. Sometimes I get it completely wrong. Last week was a case in point where Carrie Ann [Inaba] justly criticized Maksim [Chmerkovskiy], and Brandy and Maks got indignant. They went back and forth, and then Len said, "Your dance was full of this, full of that, full of this," and he was being complimentary. And I said, "But what did you think Carrie Ann was full of?" It was a straight line to swing at, but he used it as an opportunity to defend what Carrie Ann had said, and he kind of put us all in our place. "You two may have had words," meaning Maks and Carrie Ann, "but in fact she had a valid point." That's one of the things the judges know that I'll go at them for if I feel like they're being unfair. They, in turn, have reasons for what they're saying. They're happy to defend themselves.
Is it easy to stay in that hosting zone of dry, diplomatic commentary?
Yeah, I think so. It's interesting to have a friend's perspective on it. Last night Jeff Probst from Survivor was at the show with his mom and his girlfriend. We all went to dinner afterward, and Jeff was saying, "You know, I was watching you" -- we worked together years ago in New York at FX cable -- "It was interesting watching you. You keep the same pace throughout." I knew what he meant. My internal rhythm when I'm doing the show live is to just be sort of watchful. To be listening to everything and not pre-judge where I'm going to go or how I'm going to react, to react honestly in the moment. It's sort of a constant energy, a radar that's turning from one direction to the other. So my reactions tend to be very genuine. I try to make them funny in some cases or when I'm congratulating a couple, I'll try to say something other than just "Good job." Sometimes I'll fall back on that canard though. But there is kind of a mindset I get into when I'm out there, which I kind of like. It's a plugged-in zone I get into -- and I don't know if I answered your question, but there we go!
Would agree that your hosting style is Sajak-ian?
Sajakian. What would that mean?
Well, Pat Sajak keeps a very constant flow, but there's an underlying current of very subversive humor occurring at all times.
Yeah, I think that's fair. No disrespect to Pat, but my video mentor was always [Johnny] Carson. Carson always had complete control on his show and could be supportive and withering. I think Sajak definitely has that quality, and on a show he's done for years. Having done Hollywood Squares, I know that's like five shows a day for I don't know how many days in a row. So it's kind of good to get into a zone where you can wink-wink, nudge-nudge to the viewer occasionally.
Do you miss the old-school, five-a-day grind of game shows at all?
No, I don't. Hollywood Squares was my first, and thus far only, game show. It was a fun format and an interesting time. I had these nine stars to play off, so a lot of my desire to improv came off of that. But I really like and prefer actual live television. This is a great little sandbox for me to play in.
You clearly appreciate funny, off-the-cuff people. Who's the funniest comic foil you've gotten to work with on TV?
That's a really good question. One of my favorites early on when I was doing a show on FX and then on Fox for a season was -- she was the first name who came to mind when you asked that question -- Bonnie Hunt, who is, like you said, smart-funny. I love working with smart-funny people. Just going back and forth and having that kind of rapport. John Ritter was like that, and he was a friend. It was a pleasure to be in that kind of company. There are a number of people that I've had the real benefit of playing with and making laugh. I remember sitting one time at Hollywood Squares -- we'd do three shows, break for lunch, and then do two -- and during one of those lunch breaks there were four of us sitting on the couches. It was me, Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, and Tim Conway. I was in heaven. I was in heaven not only picking their brains, but making them laugh. It was such a treat. Whenever I could make Carol or Tim or Harvey laugh, that was like a gold star on my report card.
You won the Daytime Emmy for game show hosting, but you tied with Bob Barker. Was that bizarre?
Well, what felt more bizarre than winning in a tie was winning at all. That was the year that Millionaire was so big on ABC. Because they didn't have a category in the Primetime Emmys in those days for hosting, they put Regis into the Daytime Emmys even though it was a primetime show. The show was so big, he rescued the network. The expectation was that he was going to win. When they announced that category and said, "We have a tie!" and the first winner they said was Bob Barker, we all assumed the next name they'd say would be Regis. When they said my name -- maybe it's on YouTube -- the look of shock on my face was genuine. I just had no expectation. I went up and looked at Regis sitting in the front row with Michael Eisner, who ran Disney at the time, and I said, "Don't feel bad, Regis, Eisner's buying you the Statue of Liberty." Because he really saved the network. I was stunned. I even said when I accepted the award, "I thought I just came for the dinner." I mean, it was a tie, but it was such a shock. I remember waking up in my hotel room at two in the morning to make sure the Emmy was still there, that I hadn't imagined it.
I've heard you say you have no interest in hosting again. You've done a guest stint on Castle, I know, but what other venues would you like to try?
Well, I don't know. I think that was an interview I gave with Broadcasting and Cable, and I think the interviewer was asking if there was anything else I wanted to host. With my current plate with this show and America's Funniest Videos, which we call "the annuity" at my house, I don't have any desire to host anything else now. That may change in the future if these things go away. But besides hosting, apart from live TV, there's no format I'm dying to do. Now I'm at the point in my career in my mid-fifties where I've done this for awhile, and I'm just doing other things like lending my voice to a Disney animated series. Just meeting different creative people in the business. My agent said there was an expression of interest from the How I Met Your Mother people, but they wanted me, if I was available, to play a game show host. And I said, "Well, no." I did the host thing on Castle because it was Castle and it made for a great flow on my network and all that. But the idea of going on an episodic show and playing a host has no real appeal at all. I'd rather play the maniacal killer or something like that.
Do you have any hosting nightmares? Things that could still go wrong on live TV as you run the show?
You know, I guess I had a dream that was the hosting equivalent of being in class, having a test, and not having studied for it. I haven't worked in radio in over 15 years, but the other night a month or so ago, I had this dream I was at my hometown radio station, and the song was ending, and I had no idea what was going on other than I was there. It was the equivalent of being caught naked in class. I was at an open microphone without any idea of what to do.
Let's talk about this season of Dancing with the Stars. Can you gauge audience reaction during the taping? Is there noticeable commotion when Bristol Palin gets the lowest scores but isn't eliminated? Or when--
Here's the thing. Let's address the Bristol thing. That's the thing I get the biggest kick out of on the show. I'm going to put on my political hat. I'm a liberal Democrat, and I state that proudly. But I have no patience with my friends who believe there is a conspiracy keeping Bristol on the show. They'll say, and they're friends of a similar political persuasion though I have friends across the spectrum, "Oh, well! She's still on the show! She's obviously not the best dancer! She gets the lowest scores!" My response to that is similar to my response to the midterm elections. I'll say, "OK, right. So who did you vote for instead of Bristol?" "Uh, well, I don't vote!" "Well, then, f*ck you." I mean, basically! You can clean that up. I have no patience for that! If you don't participate to create a different outcome -- and this can be true in national politics or a TV reality show -- then don't piss and moan if you don't like the way it's playing out. You know, I'm sorry! I think Bristol is clearly not the best dancer here, but she's a charming young woman who's shown an incredible growth from week one to this week. If she happens to get more votes for whatever reason, more power to her. If you don't like it, vote for someone else. But that's been the part of the show that's amused me, how quickly people are to seize on conspiracy theories when people aren't involved in the process.
Jennifer Grey is so great to watch. She might be my favorite contestant ever. What's it like watching her in person?
She's an absolute sweetheart. In some ways, I think she doesn't realize how good she is. She's had a couple of crises of confidence which I think she's weathered nicely. She had our first perfect score last night, and her dad showing up last week -- Joel Grey -- gave her an important and well-timed pep talk. She really is a sweetheart who's doing a wonderful job. She's one of those people in the cast who you think could be hoisting that -- as we say -- coveted mirror-ball trophy.
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Comments
Another car hit Brandy's car which then hit the other woman. She was not at fault for the accident. I don't think people are invested in Brandy as a person; they just think that in this competition she deserves to be there more than Bristol Palin.
I can't stand the Situation, but he is the star of a hit television show. He is not a star because of whose child he is; he's been successful in his own right. He's offensive and obnoxious, but he is definitely a celebrity.
Remember, if Bristol had a great personality or had become a great dancer or showed great character, people wouldn't be upset. She's a nice but dull young woman who doesn't even really want to be there.
That raionale was used by the American people to elect George Bush twice. You deserve what you vote for. So why vote Hasselhof out week 1? I'll bet he would show even more improvment ... starting from zero.
Ack, I said Kevin, but meant Kyle. Not sure where Kevin came from.
It's amazing to me to hear liberals suddenly find Jesus when it comes to merit based results. I mean, shouldn't they be supporting Bristol simply because she isn't as good as everyone else and is obviously starting from a disadvantage? Shouldn't they be happy that she isn't being voted off so that her self esteem can be spared? And suddenly they want voting results that limit people to one vote and not allow the vote to be spiked by a group of people dedicated to fixing the outcome? That's very un-Democrat of you. Next they'll be complaining that no one should be using "walking around" money to win a campaign. Hopefully these sentiments carry with them into 2012.
Vice versa, conservatives have no business rewarding Bristol in a dance competition just because of her political ideology (though I'm not even sure she's conservative, just that her mother is). In all honesty, the only season of DWTS that I watched was with Chad Ochocinco and that was because I'm a Bengals fan (Lord help me), so I don't know that Bristol is the worst, but it seems to be universally agreed upon that she is, even with conservatives. Well then the only answer to why she is still on the show is either because people are voting for who they like over the best dancer (shocking I know *sarcasm*) or there is a coordinated effort by conservatives to keep her in there. I'm somewhat in tune with the Tea Party and I don't know of any such effort, but the more likely solution is that people are voting for who they like over who is the best. I would imagine that DWTS's demographics trend similar to American Idol's and if that is the case, you've got a lot of evangelical Christian conservatives and since there are more of us than you, chances are if popularity is winning the day over merit, that's going to have an effect on the results without the need for a coordinated effort.
You moron. If you are getting a busy signal/connection did not go through message, it's because there are too many people calling the same number you are (so YOUR contestant is getting all those votes). Why in the world would Palin fans be voting for your contestant instead of Bristol in an attempt to keep you off the line? I tried voting for Bristol and was unable to get through the first 20 times... that was a GOOD sign that others were voting for her. THINK.
I'm very interested in your meritocratic reward take on DWTS. Please explain to me how it applies to Jersey Shore's popularity (as well as any other reality show), the Paris Hilton culture, affirmative action, TSA refusing to use profiling and opting to molest little kids and nuns instead (I'm sure they had it coming), a community organizer with no experience in anything getting elected president, welfare, rewarding illegal immigrants for illegal entry into the country, elimination of score-keeping in kid's sports so that no one feels bad, and pretty much anything else done so "no one feels bad." I guess we collectively showed our displeasure with Obama being there in the Nov. midterms, but I for one would be willing to "forgive his lack of achievement" if he stepped down immediately. As far as DWTS goes, I'd love to see how the Palin haters would react if Sarah hadn't even acknowledged that Bristol was participating in the show--would she then be a selfish cold mother who doesn't care about her kids?
Insane Palin haters will always find something to whine about. The truth is some people wanted Bristol to lose so badly, that they voted like crazy for Kyle to make sure he got that #3 spot. But... OOOOPS, they didn't realize that one of the others they considered to be safe might lose their spot. Bristol supporters can't vote AGAINST Brandy or anyone else. If you're upset that someone more talented got kicked out, perhaps you should focus your attention on voting for your contestant instead of complaining about someone else.
This is laughable. "Turned into a popularity contest," did it? I'm always amazed at how people are so willing to freely admit that their favorite contestant is not likeable. Well then, you've got your answer right there. But it's even funnier to see people complain that it's turned into something other than a dance competition... Let me ask you, why do they include those packages? Why does Jennifer bring up Patrick Swayze (which I guarantee she will do in the finale, to make sure she gets some pity votes). Why did Brandy make sure she addressed the issue immediately when during the initial stages she made sure the judges knew something was Macs' fault, and viewers reacted negatively? Why does Brandy bother to PRETEND (if you haven't realized she's fake by now, you have bigger problems than how Bristol places on DWTS) to be a fairy princess when anyone with a brain would notice her slip-ups and that she's a manipulative, narcissistic, self-involved liar. You've got Macs' back, really? Is that what you meant when you "stayed out of it"? This girl would sell her soul for a few extra points. Glad it didn't work. Love all the remaining contestants, though I hope fun no-drama Kyle wins.
That rationale was used to vote in Barack Obama..
I recently bought Susan Boyle's album and I can honestly say I like it. She is a star!
I have no respect for him because he's an adult and he watches "Dances With the Stars".
You lost all credibility when you played the "race card".
--Bristol Palin TRANSFORMS left in 2010--
This year will be remembered as the year the left finally realized that you should give accolades and awards based on merit and that voter fraud is a bad thing.
PWNED
ummm... he makes a ton of money to HOST DWTS. I love this guy. And Len. CA and Bruno... not so much. Can't stand Brooke... a trained monkey in high heels would do a much better job.
Jennifer Gray is a plant. Anyone see Dirty Dancing? How many years after her car accident she gets surgery to appear on Dancing. Her father is an entertainer....hello Cabaret......dancing and singing. Enough with her aches, pains and crying. No sympathy vote here. Bristol came on as a blank canvas, and each week more color was painted on. Maybe people really do root for the underdog knowing that they come with no experience. That is what the show should be about. No more singers who are choreographed or those with previous dancing backgrounds.
I’m going to put on my political hat. I’m a liberal Democrat, and I state that proudly.
LOL YOU SURE ABOUT THAT TOM.. I MEAN WHAT ABOUT THE ALL IMPORTANT LIBERAL NARRATIVE. STAND BY AS WE TEA BAG YOU OBAMATRONS INTO A PATHETIC FRENZY. AND YES I KNOW I'M YELLING, AGITATING LIBERAL ZOMBIES GIVE ME PLEASURE. to everyone else, sorry bout dat.
You sound just like another LIBERAL Hate mongering RACE~BAITER. Am I right?
"Yeah the show is fixed and I for one wont watch it anymore. It is a waste of time when you vote for the best dancer and they eliminated them."
Then you should have stopped watching 8 seasons ago!! It has always been half popularity contest.
Brandy being black has less to do with anything and more to do with her being a whiny diva. It is not very attractive to REAL people!
If you are going to vote for your fave without even watching the dances first... vote as soon as the show begins. you get through quickly & it's over. If you wait till the show is over, less likely to get thru.
TEAM SCHMURGLES 🙂
Did some of you even read the interview instead of the article tag?? F U is what he tells HIS FRIENDS who complain & then find out they didn't vote!! He didn't say that to fans.
Well this isn't a "typical dance" competition. This is just for fun. Isn't supposed to be all judges votes. Fans get to have 50% of the choice
sadly, people are still confused about Brandy's accident. The woman that died was driving along and she hit another car in front of her, slammed on her breaks. resulting in brandy having to slam on her breaks. Also, the woman, may she rest in peace, had some marijuana in her system. Making this all NOT Brandy's fault.
GO TEAM SCHMURGLES
LOL Seriously Racist... did you forget Kyle is in the finals still?? LOL I do believe he's black. And Emmitt Smith won the year he was on, last I looked he was black. Warren Sapp & jerry rice both made the finals... aren't they black too. LOL Oh racist cracks me up everytime i hear it pertaining to DWTS
Did you even read the interview instead of the article tag?? F U is what he tells HIS FRIENDS who complain & then find out they didn't vote!! He didn't say that to fans.
Hey Bergeron, do you kiss your momma with that mouth? Yuck, this guy makes me joyous that I haven't wasted a second of my life watching this worthless cr@p! What a complete waste of time!
Why is it that people descend to their lowest form of language....wording
that has lost it's shock value and only makes the individual look crass,
unsophisticated, tasteless and vulgar?
My respect for Tom B. just went out the window.
"I’m going to put on my political hat. "...
.
FFS, Tom. WHY?! The show is what it is, cheap entertainment - period, end of story. Just leave it at that!.. It was obvious Mario was a MUCH better dancer than Emmitt Smith in S3, but no one was carrying on and whining like they are over Palin.
.
Just tell them to fvcking drop it already and grow the fvck up already.
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