Erin Andrews Addresses Her 'Dancing With the Stars' Exit (Exclusive)

09/07/2021 04:29 pm EDT

As fans gear up for a new season of Dancing with the Stars, this being the 30th Season, it will also be the second season familiar faces like Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews will not be returning after their sudden release last year. While Bergeron had been hosting the popular dance competition for 15 years, Andrews was brought on for five years starting in 2014 after her stint as a celebrity dancer during Season 10. But while there are still fans who aren't over the sudden change, Andrews has moved on and is currently gearing up for football season. 

During an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Andrews touches on her thoughts about where she currently stands regarding the show and opens up about her new podcast Calm Down with close friend Charissa Thompson. "That was a while ago. I mean, where I am is getting ready for football and trying to process how I'm going to be home maybe two days out of the week and see my family and try to get everything done for two games," she said. "So, that's where I am with my life." 

While their firings came as a complete shock to the public — considering both Bergeron and Andrews were such well-loved personalities — Bergeron admitted during an interview at the beginning of the summer in April, that he wasn't as shocked as most and felt it was coming. "The show had changed a lot for me starting in early 2008," he told Heavy.com. "The show I left was not the show that I loved. We had very clear, sometimes public, differences of opinion about the new showrunner and some of the execs and happily, I was at a point in my life and career where I didn't have to just shut up and take it." Admitting he chose to go public with some of his concerns, he believes that "set the stage for it."

"I decided to go public with some concerns I had at that time and I think that set the stage for it. I kind of saw it coming," he added. One issue he had with the show that he went public with was the invitation to former President Donald Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer. It wasn't personal against Spicer himself, he more-or-less felt as if politics should be left off the show considering the heightened political climate. That was one among others that he chose to go public with, ultimately deciding his fate on the series. 

As for Andrews, she's made a big name for herself in the world of sports broadcasting. Being one of the most popular female faces on the sidelines, that's exactly what she continued doing during and after her time on DWTS. In fact, during the pandemic, she started a podcast with Thompson, who is a fellow sports broadcaster and entertainment personality. "We just honestly realized everybody had a podcast, so why can't we?" she explained why the two decided to start one. "And we did it in the middle of COVID when we didn't have much going on and iHeart was great enough to sign us a deal. And so we were like, 'All right, let's do it!'" While the two do open up quite a bit with their fans, there are some things they'll continue to keep private. 

As she gets ready to hit the sidelines for football, Andrews is also teaming up with 7-Eleven to recruit a squad of influencers who love both football and the convenience store with rewards that could include $11,000 signing bonus and training camp to help kickstart and refine their social media influencer skills. "I think it's such a cool opportunity for people. They can take their fandom to the next level to showcase all the ways that 7-Eleven celebrates fans and all their game day needs." She'll be teaming up with Dak Prescott and JuJu Smith-Schuster to recruit fans from all over and she gushed over her excitement to do so. 

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