Fans were stunned back in July when “Dancing With The Stars” host Tom Bergeron was abruptly fired and replaced by the supermodel Tyra Banks.
Since the new season of the ABC show premiered last month, it’s been anything but smooth sailing for Banks, as she’s made frequent mistakes and found herself embroiled in various dramas. This has led to many fans calling for Bergeron to be brought back, as he’d hosted the show since it premiered back in 2005 and had virtually no issues in that time.
The latest drama that Banks has become entangled in involves reports that she has banned anyone from the “Real Housewives” franchise from appearing on “Dancing With The Stars,” which she also serves as executive producer of. Now, Banks is speaking out to desperately shoot down this persistent rumor.
“I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t even understand,” Banks told Entertainment Tonight. “You know what, there are some people out there who are just trying to stir stuff up.”
“First of all, I have nothing to do with casting,” she added. “Second of all, I’m a freaking businesswoman. The Real Housewives are some of the biggest stars in this country. So that’s just somebody trying to hate, and there’s a lot of that going on right now.”
Banks explained that she believes someone is intentionally trying to stir up controversy for her.
“There will be another rumor next and another one. After while, I’m just going to be like, ‘I just can’t even answer this crap anymore,'” the 46 year-old supermodel said. “There’s somebody that’s hating. Somebody that’s mad there are changes on Dancing With the Stars so they are making stuff up.”
“I think I know who it is, but I haven’t called them out yet,” Banks continued.
She concluded by saying that as for the “Real Housewives” claims, “It’s just dumb rumors, and they are going to continue.”
This comes after a source told OK! Magazine that after Banks took over as host and executive producer on “Dancing With The Stars” this season, she immediately banned women from the “Real Housewives” franchise from competing.
“Tyra is the new boss and made it clear that she didn’t want any more Housewives in her ballroom,” the insider claimed. “She thinks the show needs to aim higher and only book the ladies after everyone else has passed. Several ladies from the Bravo franchise have already made it clear that they would love to put on their dancing shoes, but Tyra doesn’t want any of them right now.”
“Tyra has never been a fan of the Housewives, but the real reason she doesn’t want them on her show is that Bethenny Frankel, NeNe Leakes and Teresa Giudice do not make headlines anymore,” the source added. “Tyra wants reality stars like Carole Baskin from Tiger King — not a decade-old franchise that no one talks about anymore. If Tyra thought for one minute that the Housewives would get her show ratings, she would welcome them to the dance floor in a second.”
Banks soon denied the rumors through her publicist Elana Rose.
“This is 100 percent untrue,” Rose told Page Six. “She’s a huge fan of the ‘Housewives’ and everyone knows Tyra is a businesswoman first. As a businesswoman, why would she say anything against the ‘Housewives’? She has nothing to do with casting.”
She added that Banks even “just tried to get one of her really good friends on the ‘Housewives!’ She watches the shows. She loves them.”
Rose went on to say that Banks is a huge Bravo fan.
“She loves Andy [Cohen],” the publicist said. “She’s been on ‘Watch What Happens Live’ several times. She’s a huge fan of the Clubhouse.”
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