Former DWTS Champ Bobby Bones Says He Returned His Mirrorball Trophy After Tom Bergeron Criticized His Win

Bobby Bones revealed he no longer has his Mirrorball trophy for his 2018 Dancing with the Stars win. 

The podcast host, 45, shared that he sent his Mirrorball trophy “back to ABC” following criticism of his win, while addressing “hurtful” comments former DWTS host Tom Bergeron recently made to Parade.  

In a TikTok posted on Monday, Nov. 12, Bones responded to Bergeron, 70, telling Parade the elimination that “shocked” the TV host the most was Bobby Bones’. “Bobby Bones was the first time I kind of — it was like ouch,” Bergeron said. 

In his response, Bones shared, “I try not to get my feelings hurt, especially about stuff like this, but this was hurtful.” He added that it wasn’t “because of what was said, but really who said it.”

Bones asked his followers what he was supposed to do in his situation, saying, “I didn’t even wanna be on the show. I had no intention of being on Dancing with the Stars. I was working on a different show at the network, they asked me to go on the show to promote. Am I supposed to not show up and work hard?” 

Bones called the “amount of hate” he still gets years later “crazy,” and said people he respects — like “Tom Bergeron” and “Julianne Hough,” who also “strongly disagreed” with his win — continue to bring up his time on the series.

“Like what did I do?” Bones wondered. “I had a great attitude. I worked hard, and here we are, like six years later, I’m still catching strays out of nowhere. So, I sent the trophy back. They don’t want me to be a part of the show, obviously. So I don’t wanna be somewhere that doesn’t want me to be there.”

He then reiterated, “So I sent the trophy back to ABC. I no longer have the Mirrorball trophy.”

Bones said while he “loved” his time on DWTS, he’s not a fan of people like “Tom” or “Julianne” and others “taking random shots” at him, and “have taken all the joy away from my time on that show.”

“Which is crazy because it was such a great, joyous time. Even though I was the only one in the whole crew that was dancing that had a full-time job at the same time,” he said. 

Bones ended his video telling his followers to “go where you’re celebrated, not where you’re tolerated.”

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On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Bergeron issued an apology for his comments. He posted a screenshot to his Instagram Stories of a DM he sent to Bones, expressing regret over the remarks he had made about Bones’ 2018 victory.

“Bobby, it wasn’t my intention to hurt your feelings. My ‘ouch’ was based on my honest feeling that your win spoke to a need to address the balance between judge and viewer voting,” the apology, posted to Bergeron’s Instagram Stories, read.  

Bergeron went on to say, “I always felt bad that you & Sharna [Burgess] had to deal with the aftermath of that win & I certainly regret pouring any salt into that old wound.”

Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.