Bobby Bones is speaking out about Tom Bergeron's recent comments about his win in 2018. The radio personality's win with dance pro Sharna Burgess in season 27 has been a hot topic among DWTS fans since he was on the show, with the former America's Funniest Home Videos host being the latest to weigh in. Speaking with Parade, Tom, who recently returned to the show as a guest judge, said: "It's funny you're asking me about eliminations, the thing that shocked me more was a win, Bobby Bones."
"Bobby Bones was the first time I kind of… it was like ouch," he added, after which Bobby took to TikTok and expressed his hurt over the comments, revealing that it prompted him to officially return his Mirrorball Trophy, now named the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, back to ABC.
© Getty Images"I try not to get my feelings hurt, especially about stuff like this, but this was hurtful, and not because of what was said, but really who said it," he first said, noting that Tom, who hosted the show from its inception in 2005 until 2020, is someone "who I really like, who I admire."
Bobby added that he took offense in "him talking about me, except they didn't even ask a question about me, he flipped it to give me as the answer," before wondering: "What was I supposed to do on that show?"
"I didn't even wanna be on the show," he revealed, further explaining: "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? Am I supposed to not give it freaking everything that I have? Am I supposed to like, throw it, and not win?"
© Getty Images"It's crazy the amount of hate I get, even from people that I respect like Tom Bergeron on there, and Julianne Hough, which I don't know her, but I feel like a sixth grader, and all the ninth grade dancing kids are shocking me in lockers, it is crazy," he continued, emphasizing: "What did I do? I had a great attitude, I worked hard, and here we are six years later, I'm still catching strays out of nowhere."
© InstagramBobby also claimed that of all the contestants, he was the only one still also working a full time job while competing on the show, before confirming: "So I sent the trophy back. They don't want me to be a part of the show, obviously, so I don't want to be somewhere that doesn't want me to be there. So I sent the trophy back to ABC, I no longer have the Mirrorball Trophy," and concluding with: "I loved my time there," but people "taking shots at me" takes "all the joy away from my time on that show," which he still described as "such a great, joyous time."
Tom has since shared that he apologized to Bobby, sharing an Instagram Story of his apology captioned with: "I was doing so many interviews leading up to the 20th that I was bound to say something inelegantly." His apology to Bobby reads: "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. I always felt bad that you & Sharna had to deal with the aftermath of that win & I certainly regret pouring any salt into that old wound."
