New Photo - Eddie Murphy's most surprising revelations about 'SNL,' party drugs and losing the Oscar

USA TODAY and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change.Eddie Murphy's most surprising revelations about 'SNL,' party drugs and losing the Oscar Erin Jensen, USA TODAYNovember 12, 2025 at 6:15 AM 0 Netflix's "Being Eddie" documentary offers viewers "a really genuine, little glimpse of me, for real," Eddie Murphy tells USA TODAY. The Oscar nominee compares the experience of sitting for director Angus Wall's film (streaming Nov. 12) to "going through an old photo album with everybody.

- - USA TODAY and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change.Eddie Murphy's most surprising revelations about 'SNL,' party drugs and losing the Oscar

Erin Jensen, USA TODAYNovember 12, 2025 at 6:15 AM

0

Netflix's "Being Eddie" documentary offers viewers "a really genuine, little glimpse of me, for real," Eddie Murphy tells USA TODAY.

The Oscar nominee compares the experience of sitting for director Angus Wall's film (streaming Nov. 12) to "going through an old photo album with everybody." The 1 hour and 43-minute documentary − which includes interviews with Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson, Jamie Foxx, Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Tracee Ellis Ross and Jerry Seinfeld – shows the first spark of Murphy's career: a ventriloquist doll that served as the perfect vehicle for his animated voices.

Television captivated Murphy from a young age.

"As a kid, I'd get a blanket, go throw it over the dining room table, so it was hanging down like a tent, put the TV under there, and I'd watch all day long," Murphy says in "Being Eddie." He remembers, years later, the days of "trying to roll around like Elvis" in leather suits while performing stand-up and relives his box office hits and misses.

Here are the most notable moments from the documentary:

Eddie Murphy loathes funerals. His plan to spare loved ones 'that trauma' after his death.

Eddie Murphy reflects on more than four decades in showbiz in "Being Eddie," streaming Nov. 12 on Netflix.'I was hurt': Eddie Murphy explains why he avoided 'SNL' and decided to return

Murphy joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1980, at 19. He left in 1984 to pursue movies, but not every one hit. 1995's "Vampire in Brooklyn" got him "a little off-track," Murphy can admit. But it still stung when David Spade included Murphy in his sharp-tongued "SNL" bit "Hollywood Minute."

With a photo of Murphy on the screen, Spade jabbed, "Look, children, it's a falling star. Make a wish." The audience groaned, and Murphy admits, "I was hurt."

"It's like your alma mater taking a shot at you," he says. He believes a similar joke about an "SNL" cast member's career wouldn't fly today.

"The joke had went through all of those channels that a joke has to go through" to get on the air, Murphy says. "That's what y'all think of me? … And that's why I didn't go back for years."

Eventually, he decided the show could be an opportunity to highlight his talents. He returned to host it in 2019.

"That little friction that I had with 'SNL' was 35 years ago. I don't have no smoke with no David Spade," he says. "It was like, 'Hey, let me go to 'SNL' and smooth that all out.' And I did."

Legendary comedian and Hollywood star Eddie Murphy is the subject of new Netflix documentary "Being Eddie," streaming Nov. 12. What follows are four exclusive first-look photos from the movie, as well as a taste of Murphy's screen work.

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Eddie Murphy (right, with Judge Reinhold) scored an early Hollywood hit playing Detroit detective Axel Foley in the 1984 action comedy "Beverly Hills Cop."

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Eddie Murphy (right, with Judge Reinhold) scored an early Hollywood hit playing Detroit detective Axel Foley in the 1984 action comedy "Beverly Hills Cop."

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Eddie Murphy brought back his classic 1980s character Mister Robinson – a spoof of Mister Rogers – during a 2019 hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live."

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Eddie Murphy brought back his classic 1980s character Mister Robinson – a spoof of Mister Rogers – during a 2019 hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live."

">Eddie Murphy brought back his classic 1980s character Mister Robinson – a spoof of Mister Rogers – during a 2019 hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live."

" src=https://ift.tt/RjMTmnQ class=caas-img>Eddie Murphy (left) and Pete Davidson play armored truck drivers who get embroiled in a high-stakes heist in Murphy's latest comedy, "The Pickup."

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Eddie Murphy (left) and Pete Davidson play armored truck drivers who get embroiled in a high-stakes heist in Murphy's latest comedy, "The Pickup."

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" src=https://ift.tt/XIotPCm class=caas-img>

1 / 9See exclusive pics of Eddie Murphy from Netflix's 'Being Eddie' documentary

Legendary comedian and Hollywood star Eddie Murphy is the subject of new Netflix documentary "Being Eddie," streaming Nov. 12. What follows are four exclusive first-look photos from the movie, as well as a taste of Murphy's screen work.

Eddie Murphy reveals thoughts on the 2007 Oscars: I could've 'lost at home'

Murphy believes that his poorly received comedy "Norbit," released in the final days of voting, muddied his path to the Oscar stage laid in "Dreamgirls." Alan Arkin took home the best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in "Little Miss Sunshine." The loss, Murphy says, is not what irked him, though he left the show after the award was announced.

"I would usually not go to award shows," Murphy says in "Being Eddie." "I'm like, 'These motherf------ made me come all the way down. I could've f------ lost at home.'"

"I'm never like, 'Oh, I didn't win.' I'm like, 'Hey! Don't make me come down here for nothing.' It's always wonderful to win stuff. But if I don't win ... I'm still Eddie in the morning."

Why Eddie Murphy avoids awards shows: 'Everybody's dressed and acting and fake'

Eddie Murphy at the 79th Academy Awards on Feb. 25, 2007, in Hollywood.Eddie Murphy wonders if Yul Brynner propositioned him on his birthday at Studio 54

Murphy rang in his 21st birthday at New York's famed Studio 54.

"Yul Brynner, from 'The Ten Commandments,' he was with his wife (Kathy Lee Brynner), and he was like, "How would you like to go back to my apartment with my wife and I and party?' " Murphy recalls. "And I was like, 'Nah, I'm cool.' "

Murphy says with age, he's begun to wonder if it was an invitation to dally with Kathy while Brynner watched.

"And now I wish I would've went," Murphy says, because it would've made for a better story.

USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for the Brynner family for comment.

Yul Brynner at 1958 interview in Paris.Eddie Murphy didn't plan to walk away from stand-up: 'It just kind of gradually stopped'

Murphy reveals he never made a conscious decision to leave the stand-up stage.

"It just kind of gradually stopped," he says. "I do know that it stopped being as much fun, and that's why I stopped going to the clubs like I used to."

He resented stories and critiques that would follow a set, polished or not. "If I would go up at a club, the next day it would be in the paper that I was at a club and what I was talking about, and they'd be critiquing it already, and it'd be like a little piece of an idea," he says. "And I remember I didn't like that feeling, so I stopped working out as much … before we knew it, decades had gone by."

And when he catches bits of his stand-up shows, "Eddie Murphy Delirious" (1983) and "Eddie Murphy Raw" (1987), he says, "It feels like a different person," as with time we all evolve.

Eddie Murphy avoided hard drugs: 'I wasn't even curious'

Murphy says when he would party with "Super Freak" singer Rick James in the '80s, he would leave before people started doing drugs. "I was never curious about it," Murphy says. "I never wanted to go in there and check it out or nothing. I just wasn't with it."

During his first season of "SNL," Murphy says he accompanied John Belushi and Robin Williams to a blues bar.

"They put some blow on the table, and I'm standing there (between) two heroes," Murphy says. "I wasn't even curious. I was just not with it. I've never even tried cocaine or touched cocaine ... I don't drink. I don't smoke cigarettes."

Murphy says he was 30 before he smoked his first joint.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eddie Murphy documentary's big reveals about 'SNL,' standup, fame

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Eddie Murphy's most surprising revelations about 'SNL,' party drugs and losing the Oscar

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New Photo - Are you listening to bots? Survey shows AI music is virtually undetectable

Are you listening to bots? Survey shows AI music is virtually undetectable By Jaspreet SinghNovember 12, 2025 at 5:36 AM 0 Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Artificial Intelligence AI" in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration By Jaspreet Singh (Reuters) A staggering 97% of listeners cannot distinguish between artificial intelligencegenerated and humancomposed songs, ​a Deezer–Ipsos survey showed on Wednesday, underscoring growing concerns that AI ‌could upend how music is created, consumed and monetized.

- - Are you listening to bots? Survey shows AI music is virtually undetectable

By Jaspreet SinghNovember 12, 2025 at 5:36 AM

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Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Artificial Intelligence AI" in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

By Jaspreet Singh

(Reuters) -A staggering 97% of listeners cannot distinguish between artificial intelligence-generated and human-composed songs, ​a Deezer–Ipsos survey showed on Wednesday, underscoring growing concerns that AI ‌could upend how music is created, consumed and monetized.

The findings of the survey highlight the ethical ‌and economic tension facing the global music industry as AI tools capable of generating songs in seconds raise copyright concerns and threaten the livelihoods of artists.

The issue gained prominence earlier this year when AI band "The Velvet Sundown" sparked enough buzz to ⁠gain around one million monthly ‌listeners on Spotify before people found out about its synthetic origins.

The study, which polled 9,000 people across eight countries including ‍the U.S., UK, France, Brazil and Canada, showed about 71% of the respondents were surprised by their inability to distinguish between human and machine-produced ​tracks.

Streaming platform Deezer said more than 50,000 songs uploaded daily on its service ‌are entirely AI-generated, accounting for about a third of all new music submissions.

The company began tagging AI music earlier this year to promote transparency.

"We believe strongly that creativity is generated by human beings, and they should be protected," CEO Alexis Lanternier told Reuters, urging transparency.

Lanternier also said implementing a ⁠differential payout structure for AI music is a ​complex issue with varying viewpoints, making a "​massive change" to remuneration difficult.

Deezer is excluding fake streams from royalty payments.

Another way is for companies to make deals with rights holders,‍ he added, ⁠citing Universal Music Group's settlement of a copyright infringement case with AI company Udio.

While financial terms were undisclosed, UMG will partner with Udio to ⁠launch a new AI music creation and streaming platform next year, with the AI tool getting ‌trained on licensed music.

(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; ‌Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

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Are you listening to bots? Survey shows AI music is virtually undetectable

Are you listening to bots? Survey shows AI music is virtually undetectable By Jaspreet SinghNovember 12, 2025 at 5:36 AM...
New Photo - 'Tell Me Lies' season 3 premiere date announced. When to stream on Hulu.

'Tell Me Lies' season 3 premiere date announced. When to stream on Hulu. James Powel, USA TODAYNovember 11, 2025 at 7:25 PM 0 Hulu announced the premiere date for the third season of "Tell Me Lies" on Nov. 11. The season follows two Baird College students who have rekindled a tumultuous romance, but past actions and a controversy get in the way of their best intentions. The streamer's original series, led by Grace Van Patten and Jackson White, who play Lucy Albright and Stephen DeMarco, respectively, is set to run for eight episodes.

- - 'Tell Me Lies' season 3 premiere date announced. When to stream on Hulu.

James Powel, USA TODAYNovember 11, 2025 at 7:25 PM

0

Hulu announced the premiere date for the third season of "Tell Me Lies" on Nov. 11.

The season follows two Baird College students who have rekindled a tumultuous romance, but past actions and a controversy get in the way of their best intentions.

The streamer's original series, led by Grace Van Patten and Jackson White, who play Lucy Albright and Stephen DeMarco, respectively, is set to run for eight episodes. The first two episodes will stream on Hulu and Disney+ on the same day.

1 / 8Take a look at photos from 'Tell Me Lies' season 3Handout still from "Tell Me Lies" season three provided ahead of its Jan. 13 premier on Hulu.

"The disastrous repercussions from the previous year also force Lucy and Stephen's friends to face their own destructive behaviors," the announcement release reads. "As scandalous secrets fester around campus, vicious consequences threaten Lucy and everyone in her circle."

The show will stream on Hulu and Disney+ domestically and internationally.

Here's when "Tell Me Lies" season three is set to premiere.

Handout still from "Tell Me Lies" season three provided ahead of its Jan. 13, 2026 premiere on Hulu.When does 'Tell Me Lies' season three premiere?

"Tell Me Lies" season three premieres with two episodes on Hulu and on Disney+ on Jan. 13, 2026. The season finale will stream Feb. 24, 2026.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Tell Me Lies' season 3 first look released. Premiere date announced.

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'Tell Me Lies' season 3 premiere date announced. When to stream on Hulu.

'Tell Me Lies' season 3 premiere date announced. When to stream on Hulu. James Powel, USA TODAYNovember 11, 2025 ...
New Photo - Tori Spelling grew tired of 'always talking about' Donna being a virgin on Beverly Hills, 90210

But she considered it a &34;badge of honor&34; early on. Tori Spelling grew tired of 'always talking about' Donna being a virgin on Beverly Hills, 90210 But she considered it a &34;badge of honor&34; early on. By Raechal Shewfelt :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RaechalShewfeltauthorphotoc49d3a3b6aa442f588f2bbc0de804e09.jpg) Raechal Shewfelt Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at . She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American Journalism Review and The Shreveport Times. EW's editorial guidelines November 11, 2025 9:00 a.m.

But she considered it a "badge of honor" early on.

Tori Spelling grew tired of 'always talking about' Donna being a virgin on Beverly Hills, 90210

But she considered it a "badge of honor" early on.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a news writer at

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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Tori Spelling played Donna Martin on 'Beverly, Hills 90210' from 1990 to 2000

Tori Spelling played Donna Martin on 'Beverly Hills, 90210' from 1990 to 2000. Credit:

Elyse Jankowski/FilmMagic

Tori Spelling's *Beverly Hills, 90210 *character, Donna Martin, was famously a virgin throughout most of the series, despite many of her peers (ahem, Shannen Doherty's Brenda and Luke Perry's Dylan) having gone all the way early into the Fox drama's 10-year run.

And Spelling appreciated that — for a while.

"I feel like in my youth, I was always very much — it was a badge of honor to be able to be a virginal symbolism to so many women and men out there," she said on Friday's edition of the *9021OMG* podcast that she hosts with former *90210* costar Jennie Garth. "So, Donna was like — I felt, like, very special to be able to have that. But at some point, I was like, 'I kind of just want her to lose it. Like, what's the next step?'"

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.*****

It began to feel monotonous focusing on this one aspect of Donna's life. (After all, she was almost a Rose Queen!)

"We're always talking about the same storyline," Spelling said. "She can't, you know, move on story-wise until we get to that point. So I remember when it was happening, I was like, 'Oh, finally.'"

'Beverly Hills, 90210' characters David (Brian Austin Green) and Donna (Tori Spelling) went all the way in season 7

'Beverly Hills, 90210' characters David (Brian Austin Green) and Donna (Tori Spelling) went all the way in season 7.

The big event took place at the end of season 7, in the first half of a two-part episode called "Graduation Day." And, of course, Spelling's partner in the all-important storyline was Brian Austin Green, who played Donna's longtime boyfriend David Silver. It was her last night of college.

Spelling confirmed on the same podcast in June 2023 that it was her late father, Aaron Spelling, a producer of the series, who was responsible for keeping Donna from embracing her sexuality any earlier than she did.

Tori Spelling says ex Dean McDermott worked her '90210' character's name in during sex

Tori Spelling (L) and Dean McDermott attend the Much Love Animal Rescue 3rd Annual Spoken Woof Benefit at Microsoft Lounge on October 17, 2019 in Culver City, California

Brian Austin Green doesn't remember Disneyland sex with Tori Spelling

Tori Spelling and Brian Austin Green were together back in the day

Show producer and writer Charles Rosin straight-up said that it had been the senior Spelling's idea to keep Donna innocent: "We just went, 'Oh, yeah, that makes perfect sense!' Because we were able now to differentiate you." (Aaron Spelling died in 2006.)

Tori Spelling herself had noted in a 2013 interview with Vulture that, at one point, she even told him, "Come on, Dad. It's time."

Listen to the full episode of *9021OMG* above.**

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Tori Spelling grew tired of 'always talking about' Donna being a virgin on Beverly Hills, 90210

But she considered it a &34;badge of honor&34; early on. Tori Spelling grew tired of 'always talking about...
New Photo - Why Days of Our Lives star Deidre Hall was asked to confront fans picketing studio over serial ki...

They were unhappy with what they thought had happened to her character Marlena. Why Days of Our Lives star Deidre Hall was asked to confront fans picketing studio over serial killer They were unhappy with what they thought had happened to her character Marlena. By Raechal Shewfelt :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RaechalShewfeltauthorphotoc49d3a3b6aa442f588f2bbc0de804e09.jpg) Raechal Shewfelt Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at . She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American Journalism Review and The Shreveport Times.

They were unhappy with what they thought had happened to her character Marlena.

Why Days of Our Lives star Deidre Hall was asked to confront fans picketing studio over serial killer

They were unhappy with what they thought had happened to her character Marlena.

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Raechal Shewfelt is a news writer at

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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Deidre Hall plays Marlena Evans in 1981

Deidre Hall as Marlena Evans in 1981. Credit:

Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

*Days of Our Lives *actress Deidre Hall can't forget, more than 40 years later, how upset fans were in 1982, when they thought her character Marlena had been killed off. And they made their displeasure known.

But it wasn't Marlena who had died. It was her twin sister Samantha, portrayed by Deidre's real-life twin sister Andrea Hall, who died at the hands of the notorious serial killer in town, the Salem Strangler (Jack Coleman). The audience just hadn't learned that yet.

"I was at work that day, and [executive producer] Al Rabin knocked on the door, and he said, 'There is apparently a picket line around the studio about you being killed off,'" Deidre recently told TV Insider. "I said, 'Wow, what?' It aired in New York, and word traveled fast, and people were not having it."**

Andrea and Deidre Hall play Samantha and Marlena Evans on 'Days of Our Lives'

Andrea and Deidre Hall play Samantha and Marlena Evans on 'Days of Our Lives'.

Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.*****

*Days* fans went right to the source.

"So, they circled the studio, and if I went outside, they'd know I was working that day and that Marlena's not dead. Al decided it was worth the risk of sharing that knowledge, so I went out and met with fans," Deidre explained. "It was a simpler time, secrets were secrets, and storylines stayed mysterious and weren't being leaked, so you could surprise an audience."

Deidre Hall attends the 'Days Of Our Lives' 60th anniversary event this month

Deidre Hall attends the 'Days of Our Lives' 60th anniversary event on Nov. 8, 2025.

Michael Tullberg/Getty

They probably would have felt much better, too, with the knowledge that, in 2025, Deidre continues to be a cast member.

The actress, whose career has also included series such as *Emergency!* and *Our House*, reminisced, too, on how Andrea came to work with her in the first place. Her twin is not an actor by trade.

'Days of Our Lives' star Suzanne Rogers gives health update amid cancer diagnosis

Suzanne Rogers at the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards held at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel on June 7, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

'Days of Our Lives' star Deidre Hall didn't warn costar ahead of infamous gum-spitting scene: 'We can't predict her'

Deidre Hall as Hattie Adams

"Anne Marcus, our beloved head writer at the time, took meetings with a few of the lead actors, and one of her questions was, 'What is a storyline you've always wanted to do but haven't?'" Deidre noted. "So, I said, 'Gosh, I think it'd be fun to do a story with my twin sister.' And she put her pen down and said, 'What? You have a twin sister? Is she identical?' And then the game changed. She said, 'Can we get her?' I said, 'She's a special education teacher in Virginia. I don't know. Let me ask.'"

Of course, they did get her. Deidre's favorite storylines on the soap have been those involving her and her sister, she told PEOPLE in May 2023. They worked together from 1977 to 1982 and again in 2000 to 2001, when Andrea played a different character.

*Days of Our Lives* airs weekdays on Peacock.**

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They were unhappy with what they thought had happened to her character Marlena. Why Days of Our Lives star Deidre Hall wa...
New Photo - Why did Tom Bergeron leave DWTS? Here's why he felt 'screwed' after his original departure

The OG host's departure came amid a controversial casting decision. Why did Tom Bergeron leave DWTS? Here's why he felt 'screwed' after his original departure The OG host's departure came amid a controversial casting decision. By Allison DeGrushe :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/allisondegrusheEWbiophotoe5f8e89253c84b7085a43c502a3051a4.jpg) Allison DeGrushe Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at . She has been working at since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify. EW's editorial guidelines November 11, 2025 8:00 a.m.

The OG host's departure came amid a controversial casting decision.

Why did Tom Bergeron leave DWTS? Here's why he felt 'screwed' after his original departure

The OG host's departure came amid a controversial casting decision.

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Tom Bergeron on 'Dancing With the Stars'

Tom Bergeron on 'Dancing With the Stars'. Credit:

ABC/KELSEY McNEAL

- Tom Bergeron hosted *Dancing with the Stars *for its first 28 seasons.

- He left the series in 2020 and later said his final season wasn't an enjoyable experience.

- On Tuesday, Nov. 11, he'll return to the ballroom as a guest judge.

Tom Bergeron's departure from *Dancing With the Stars *remains one of the show's most surprising shake-ups. The beloved host led the ABC competition series from its first season in 2005 through 2019, becoming a familiar face for fans across 28 seasons.

Bergeron left the series in July 2020, but now, five years later, he's set to make a special return to the ballroom as a guest judge for the show's 20th anniversary celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

Bergeron recently told TV Insider that it's "going to be great" to be back at *DWTS*. "I'm anticipating that it's going to be a wonderfully emotional, nostalgic night," he said. "I'm just looking forward to being in an environment surrounded by people I really care about on live television, where there's no second take. It's my happy place."

Ahead of his long-awaited return, * *takes a look back at Bergeron's exit from *DWTS*, exploring why he left and whether it was truly his decision.

Why did Tom Bergeron leave DWTS?

Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews on 'Dancing With the Stars'

Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews on 'Dancing With the Stars'.

ABC/Eric McCandless

On July 13, 2020, ABC and BBC Studios announced that Bergeron and his cohost, Erin Andrews, would not be returning for *DWTS *season 29.

In a joint statement, the network and producers said, "Tom Bergeron will forever be part of the *Dancing with the Stars* family. As we embark on a new creative direction, he departs the show with our sincerest thanks and gratitude for his trademark wit and charm that helped make this show a success."

Tom Bergeron returning to 'DWTS' for the first time since his surprise 2020 firing

TOM BERGERON

Former 'DWTS' winner and cohost Brooke Burke reveals why she won't return to the show

TOM BERGERON, BROOKE BURKE-CHARVET

When news broke of his firing, Bergeron wrote in a post on X, "Just informed @DancingABC will be continuing without me. It's been an incredible 15-year run and the most unexpected gift of my career. I'm grateful for that and for the lifelong friendships made. That said, now what am I supposed to do with all of these glitter masks?"

Many longtime *DWTS *fans were unhappy with the decision to replace Bergeron and Andrews with Tyra Banks, but then-executive producer Andrew Llinares defended the move. "Any show like this that has been on for many, many seasons needs to continue to evolve," Llinares said at ABC's fall press day in September 2020, per *Entertainment Tonight*. "So I think changing that host is all about evolution."

He added that the goal was to make *DWTS *"feel fresh, making it feel new and make it reach out to a new audience — as well as the audience that's been there for years."

What has Tom Bergeron said about his *DWTS *departure?

Tom Bergeron, Lindsay Arnold, and DeMarcus Ware on 'Dancing with the Stars'

Tom Bergeron, Lindsay Arnold, and DeMarcus Ware on 'Dancing with the Stars'.

ABC/Eric McCandless

The next year, Bergeron opened up about what really happened behind the scenes of his departure, admitting that his final season hosting *DWTS *"wasn't a pleasant" experience.

"In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved," he said on the *Here For You *podcast in September 2021. "So at the end of the season, that turned out to be my last season, I kind of knew. I took everything out of my dressing room that I really wanted. ... It was kind of obvious that we were kind of butting heads [behind-the-scenes]."

He added that he wasn't too shocked by the decision, saying, "I wasn't surprised that that was my last season, so there was no blue period. Actually, I think Erin and I had more fun being fired than virtually anybody."

(Left to right) Tom Bergeron, Hannah Brown, Alan Bersten, Lauren Alaina, and Gleb Savchenko in 'Dancing the with Stars' season 28.

(Left to right) Tom Bergeron, Hannah Brown, Alan Bersten, Lauren Alaina, and Gleb Savchenko in 'Dancing the with Stars' season 28.

ABC/KELSEY McNEAL

In October 2023, Bergeron shared the real turning point that led to his exit. During an appearance on former *DWTS *pro Cheryl Burke's *Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans* podcast, he revealed that tensions spiked when they decided to cast former White House press secretary Sean Spicer for season 28, which ran from September to November 2019.

Heading into an election year, Bergeron urged the *DWTS *team to keep politics out of the ballroom. "I said, 'Guys, this is exactly what we said we wouldn't do. Don't go there. This is, you know, not the right time, play to our strengths, be the show that gives people a break from all this bulls---,'" Bergeron recalled.

After a producer and the showrunner insisted on casting Spicer, Bergeron offered to "take the season off." They countered by offering to release Bergeron from his contract entirely. "That's how strongly they felt," Bergeron said, adding that it "really pissed me off."

Tom Bergeron, John Schneider, and Emma Slater on 'Dancing with the Stars'

Tom Bergeron, John Schneider, and Emma Slater on 'Dancing with the Stars'.

ABC/Eric McCandless

Bergeron was "furious," and he vented his frustration publicly. Just hours after the season 28 cast reveal, he issued a statement via his social media criticizing the show for abandoning its role as a "joyful respite from our exhausting political climate."

The post caught ABC executives off guard, and that was intentional. Bergeron told Burke he didn't give them a heads-up because "they didn't deserve to know."

"They had screwed me. I'm gonna screw them," he explained. "But I wanted the viewers to know this was a step too far to me. This was a step too far on the cusp of an election year. And again — had it been a Democrat, same statement."

The backlash over Spicer's casting helped Bergeron realize that his time on *DWTS* was quickly coming to an end. "At that moment, I knew this is probably my last season, because of that one betrayal," he said. "Up until that point, there were people of character there."

Why did Tom Bergeron decide to return to DWTS?

Tom Bergeron will join Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli at the judges table on 'Dancing with the Stars'

Tom Bergeron will join Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli at the judges' table on 'Dancing with the Stars'.

Disney/Eric McCandless

Bergeron previously told Burke he would "never" return to *DWTS*, but now he's heading back to the dance floor.

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, *Good Morning America *announced* *that Bergeron would appear as a guest judge for the show's 20th birthday party episode on Nov. 11.

Bergeron cited Conrad Green, the original and current* *showrunner, as the reason he's returning to *DWTS *after all these years. "Conrad has really done a lovely job of reaching out to me and offering an olive leaf," he told TV Insider, "and we're friends, and so, in the past 12 months, when this idea popped into my head, [I thought] 'Yeah, I think I'll be very comfortable spending a lot more than a minute there.'"

Where can I watch DWTS?

Tom Bergeron and Cloris Leachman on 'Dancing with the Stars'

Tom Bergeron and Cloris Leachman on 'Dancing with the Stars'.

ABC/KELSEY McNEAL

*Dancing with the Stars *airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+ simultaneously. New episodes are available to stream the following day on Hulu or Disney+.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.*****

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW TV"

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Source: TV

Published: November 12, 2025 at 10:57AM on Source: MORNING MAG

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Why did Tom Bergeron leave DWTS? Here's why he felt 'screwed' after his original departure

The OG host's departure came amid a controversial casting decision. Why did Tom Bergeron leave DWTS? Here's why he...
New Photo - The Queen of Versailles review: A Broadway musical as empty as the mansion it portrays

Kristin Chenoweth can't save a documentary adaptation that barely scratches the surface. The Queen of Versailles review: A Broadway musical as empty as the mansion it portrays Kristin Chenoweth can't save a documentary adaptation that barely scratches the surface. By Dalton Ross :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/DaltonRossauthorphoto2e15b12006e2438a99fb06db6d682421.jpg) Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. Survivor is kind of his thing. EW's editorial guidelines November 9, 2025 11:59 p.m.

Kristin Chenoweth can't save a documentary adaptation that barely scratches the surface.

The Queen of Versailles review: A Broadway musical as empty as the mansion it portrays

Kristin Chenoweth can't save a documentary adaptation that barely scratches the surface.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross author photo

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

EW's editorial guidelines

November 9, 2025 11:59 p.m. ET

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'The Queen of Versailles' with Kristin Chenoweth

'The Queen of Versailles' with Kristin Chenoweth. Credit:

Julieta Cervantes

2025 has been the year of *Wicked*! The movie adaptation, which came out at the tail end of last year, has ignited a full-on Elphaba and Glinda craze that shows no signs of abating. Halloween costumes were everywhere. The *Wicked: For Good* sequel is ready to dominate the box office upon its Nov. 21 release date. And the original stage musical, which first hit Broadway 22 years ago, is still playing to packed houses on the Great White Way.

With all this fanfare, never has there been a better time for the two beloved original stars of *Wicked*, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, to make triumphant returns to the stage!

Yet sometimes, timing is *not* everything. Menzel's *Redwood* — which featured the actress literally soaring in a harness on stage while singing about climbing a giant tree — never took creative flight during its underwhelming run earlier this year. And now it is Chenoweth's turn to headline a Broadway musical so undeserving of her talents.

That musical is *The Queen of Versailles.* Opening tonight at the St. James Theatre, the show is an adaption, and continuation of sorts, of the similarly titled and critically acclaimed 2012 documentary on Jackie Siegel (played here by Chenoweth), and her family's quest to build a massive and opulent home. That quest comes to a screeching halt due to the 2008 recession, as Jackie scrambles to adjust to a new lifestyle while husband David struggles to keep his timeshare empire from crumbling.

'The Queen of Versailles' with Kristin Chenoweth

'The Queen of Versailles' with Kristin Chenoweth.

Julieta Cervantes

Now that tale is told... through song! And the songs are just one of many problems plaguing an identity crisis of a show that doesn't quite seem to know what it wants to be.

Much like the ill-fated *Tammy Faye* from last year, *Versailles* (directed by Michael Arden) toggles between different modus operandi — in this case, campy comedic sendup, surface level social commentary on income inequality, dark family drama, and French historical farce — and does none of them particularly well. The result often feels like tonal whiplash as the production attempts to scratch several itches without truly satisfying any.

The musical (with a book by Lindsey Ferrentino) also somehow manages to pull off the rare feat of feeling like it is speeding through huge life events at way too fast a clip (Jackie's graduation! Jackie's first wedding! Jackie's first baby! Jackie's next wedding! Jackie's half-completed mansion!), while simultaneously also feeling like the show as a whole is moving painfully slow.

This seemingly unexplainable space-time-continuum confusion is also tied into the characters themselves. Jackie's niece Jonquil (played with spunk and spirit by Tatum Grace Hopkins) shows up to live with the family after her own mom overdoses, and immediately takes offense when Jackie's daughter Victoria (Nina White) asks trivial questions about hair dye and concerts, yet then *literally seconds later* is singing giddily about the joys of owning a Juicy track suit and Motorola Razr phone — slow-burn transition be damned.

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Joshua Henry as Coalhouse Walker, Jr, Caissie Levy as Mother, and Brandon Uranowitz as Tateh in 'Ragtime' on Broadway

Daughter Victoria is at least given a more earned and gradual arc as a character certainly enjoying some of the traps of seemingly unlimited wealth yet also struggling with pressures from her mother and others to look the part — especially when looking the part means dropping a few pounds.

Unfortunately, Victoria is saddled with some of the lamest tunes of all, including an ode to a deceased pet ("Pavane for a Dead Lizard") and perhaps the most superficial song ever about superficiality with the no-duh anthem "Pretty Wins." Although bonus points, I suppose, for rhyming "lower lip augmentation" with "vaginal rejuvenation."

The songs packing so little punch throughout, and ranging from merely generic and forgettable to slightly embarrassing ("Keep on Thrustin'"), might be the biggest shock of all — seeing as how the music and lyrics come from yet another acclaimed *Wicked* vet: Stephen Schwartz (also the man behind such beloved titles as *Godspell* and *Pippin*).

Who would have thought a reunion between one of Broadway's most cherished voices and the man who gave her some of her most *popular* material could produce such underwhelming results?

As much work as the play does early on to explain Jackie's preoccupation with wealth, the character still feels underdrawn, never really delving into her failures as a mother beyond trying to get her daughter to lose weight. Nor is Jackie's sudden obsession with fame and being on camera ever truly explored beyond a simple throwaway line about building her "brand."

'The Queen of Versailles' with Kristin Chenoweth

'The Queen of Versailles' with Kristin Chenoweth.

Julieta Cervantes

If the mission of the show was to rip away the façade of a woman clearly driven by appearances, that mission is certainly not accomplished. (I will note that costume designer Christian Cowan certainly understood *his* mission to display the star in a series of fabulously ridiculous outfits involving oversized pink feather sleeves and an assortment of sequined mini-skirts and heels. A+ work there on all fronts.)

Playing Jackie's husband David, F. Murray Abraham is something of a non-factor. The magnate character is introduced in fine, fun fashion — courtesy of a western-themed explainer song ("The Ballad of the Timeshare King") — but then mostly retreats into his office once the financial trap door opens, occasionally emerging to grumble about his fading empire and the cost of electricity. The actor was given more to work with playing mute early this year at the Irish Repertory Theatre in Beckett's "Krapp's Last Tape."

In a world in which much of Broadway is opting for minimalist stage design — for either creative or budgetary reasons — *Versailles*, like its subject, spares no expense. Dane Laffrey's sets feel appropriately busy during the construction phase of the show, with ladders, buckets, and other equipment strewn about the stage. And the final set piece (no spoilers) is truly a marvel to behold.

'The Queen of Versailles' stars Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham

'The Queen of Versailles' stars Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

Unfortunately, at the middle of all that well-designed chaos is the same visual crutch that has popped up in so many Broadway shows of late — a gigantic video screen. It makes no matter that the documentary angle lends credibility to the screen as narrative device. The same could be said of *Network*. Or *Good Night, and Good Luck.* Or *Sunset Blvd*. Or *The Picture of Dorian Gray*. Or plenty of others who have gone that route. Just because you have an excuse to do it doesn't mean you should.

Even with all its flaws, there is one brief moment, right near the end, where *The Queen of Versailles* seems on the verge of doing something truly radical.

It's a situation where Jackie has both won it all yet also lost it all at the same time, and the show seems prepared to end abruptly with its protagonist forced to confront her entire life's mission that has left her at this crossroads. But the moment is fleeting, as the orchestra strikes back up, the sharp edge is dulled, the curtain falls, and audiences are left to ponder how a show so big could also say so little. **Grade: C–**

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Theater"

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Source: Theater

Published: November 12, 2025 at 09:38AM on Source: MORNING MAG

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

The Queen of Versailles review: A Broadway musical as empty as the mansion it portrays

Kristin Chenoweth can't save a documentary adaptation that barely scratches the surface. The Queen of Versailles review:...

 

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