Alfonso Ribeiro Joins Tyra Banks as Dancing With The Stars Co-Host!

After 15 years of Dancing With The Stars, ABC decided on a change.

Instead of making more tasteful casting choices, the show ousted Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews.

After that controversial move, the show cast actress, model, and supervillain Tyra Banks as host.

Now, DWTS is giving her a co-host … and while he’s a familiar face to the show, it’s not Tom or Erin.

Alfonso Ribeiro is of course most famous for his role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

He is also a Dancing With The Stars alum, having taken home the mirror ball trophy in 2014.

This week, ABC revealed that he will join Tyra Banks as a cohost for the show’s 31st season.

“I’m super excited,” Alfonso gushed to People this week.

“For me to be asked now to co-host with Tyra,” he remarked.

Alfonso continued: “and be part of the great crew and dancers and friends.”

“To be able to be on stage with them and to be part of that family again,” Alfonso continued.

This is something that “is quite special for me.”

Alfonso pointed out: “I mean, these dancers are friends of mine at this point now.”

“We really do all hang out together,” Alfonso noted, “and talk outside of that show.”

“My goal is to bring back a sense of the happy and the fun,” he expressed.

“And,” Alfonso continued, “the family atmosphere.”

Alfonso detailed that this is the vibe “that this show has always felt like for me.”

“I want to become friends with all of the contestants this year,” he expressed.

“And,” Alfonso then continued, he wants to “allow myself to kind of be able to really just sit and talk with them.”

Alfonso then aspired: “And after their dance, I want to get honest, and true feelings from them.”

“And,” he continued, he wants to “make people laugh and make people smile again.”

“I feel like sometimes it gets a little serious,” Alfonso observed.

“And while it needs to be that also,” Alfonso then admitted.

He opined that “it also needs to be light and fun and cheery.”

That certainly sounds like the appropriate tone for the show.

Some viewers have been critical of the show and its host since Tyra took the reins.

Taking issue with the ousting of Tom and Erin is extremely valid.

But some have just not enjoyed Tyra’s energy. To be fair, she is a larger-than-life personality.

We don’t mean to lump a large group of people together, but it’s mostly older viewers who feel this way.

Many younger viewers like the raw, chaotic energy that Tyra brings to … everything that she does in life.

Of course, given the viewing demographics of DWTS (some young people do watch, we swear!), perhaps the show needed balance.

It’s likely that producers hope that Alfonso can bring that counterpoint to Tyra’s energy.

Meanwhile, Season 31 will debut on Disney Plus some time this fall — but we do not yet know the date.

And yes, the show has already been renewed for Season 32.