Things are changing in the ballroom — and the pros are shook. Val Chmerkovskiy, Emma Slater and more are speaking out after Len Goodman announced he is leaving Dancing With the Stars after the season 31 finale.
“[I’m] very surprised. No one knew,” Chmerkovskiy told Us Weekly after the Monday, November 14, episode. “I’m gonna miss the familiarity, I guess. I’ve seen him before the show. He was an adjudicator at the British Open for many years before joining the show. And then even being part of Dancing With the Stars, he’s such an important voice and an important authority and the British accent I think makes every difference. So I’m gonna miss all of that. I think, hopefully, they’ll have his spirit somehow still present. Maybe he could Skype in and do a little Len’s corner or Len’s recap because, yeah, because he’s gonna be missed.”
Slater, for her part, told Page Six that it “caught [her] off guard” when Goodman revealed during Monday’s show that he was exiting to spend more time with his family in Britain.
“It got me in my feels, if I’m honest,” she said. “I didn’t expect to feel as emotional as I was.”
The season 24 champ added that she thinks the show should fill Goodman’s chair with a new judge.
“I also am a big believer in respecting what people have done, but then embracing new personalities and making way for people that would shine just as much,” Slater explained. “So I think [let’s] pave the way for somebody to make Len proud and have the show just embrace somebody new as well.”
When asked whether he would take the gig, Chmerkovskiy, a two-time champ who joined the show as a pro on season 13, told reporters that he’s unsure if it’s the right time for him to take over.
“Yeah, I would love to, I would. I will be completely honest, and I hope I’m not missing my future opportunity, but I still want to dance [right now]. I got the chance to judge Dancing With the Stars: Juniors and I loved the opportunity to talk to kids, inspire them and give them feedback … but that was a huge responsibility,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s different when you’re judging adults, I’m sure it is, but I wasn’t entirely in my groove in that. I wanted to dance, I felt kind of uncomfortable giving critique in such a vulnerable situation. So, I don’t envy that job! I’m not rushing to get there just yet.”
Britt Stewart nominated longtime pro Cheryl Burke.
“Cheryl definitely wants to be a judge and I think that she would be an amazing addition,” she said. “I think that Derek [Hough] is a testament to a past pro becoming a judge. He really has the knowledge and he has the experience of what it’s like to be in our shoes.”
Hough joined the judge’s table when Goodman was forced to take the season off due to COVID-19 protocols in 2020. The former pro remained a judge when Goodman returned for season 30 alongside OGs Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. (Derek’s sister and fellow former pro Julianne Hough served as a judge from 2014-2017.)
Goodman’s last official episode of DWTS airs on Monday, November 21, with Gabby Windey, Charli D’Amelio, Wayne Brady and Shangela competing for the mirrorball.