Former Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron opened up about being called out by Simone Biles after he made a comment about her lack of smiling after receiving feedback on the reality competition show.
The contentious moment occurred during Season 24 in 2017 when Biles didn't hide her frustration after receiving mostly negative feedback from the judges for her Paso Doble performance with her dance partner, Sasha Farber.
Responding to her unhappy expression, Bergeron told Biles:
"I was waiting for you to smile at some of the compliments. You didn't."
To that, Biles responded:
"Smiling doesn't win you gold medals."
You can watch their exchange in the video below.
Simone Biles Fires Back at 'DWTS' Judges: 'Smiling Doesn't Win You Gold Medals' youtu.be
Bergeron recently discussed the incident on Cheryl Burke's Sex, Lies and Spray Tans podcast.
He admitted that his remark to Biles was one of those "rare times when I spoke before I thought" while hosting the program. He also acknowledged that the judges, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman, had been "harsh" in their critique, while Carrie Ann Inaba was "very complimentary."
To underscore just how much this moment polarized people, at the time Bergeron and the judges weathered significant criticism on social media.
The podcast episode delved into the behind-the-scenes moments leading up to the clash, with Bergeron revealing how a producer remarked in his earpiece how Biles wasn't even smiling at Inaba's compliments.
Reflecting on the incident, Bergeron said:
“So instead of saying, ‘Simone, what’s your reaction to the judges’ comments? Now, Carrie Ann was complimentary and the other two less so.’ Instead of saying that, I had that last thought from [the producer] in my head, and I went, ‘I noticed you didn’t smile.'"
“Now what woman wants to hear a guy say, ‘Hey, sweetheart, smile!’”
“The moment it came out of my mouth, I thought, ‘Oh, you [idiot].’”
Bergeron said he appreciated Biles' response and that he was "so properly put in my place." Following the incident, Biles created a T-shirt with the phrase, "Smiling doesn't win gold medals," which she and Bergeron shared in a photo on social media.
He added:
“I stood next to her looking very sheepish while she wore that wonderful shirt, and we put that on social media and everything. But that was one time when I wished I had taken a beat, translated what I heard in my ear and put it in my own words.”
While Biles didn't win her season of DWTS, she's been exceptionally successful in her gymnastics career.
After a two-year break from the sport, she recently secured her sixth individual all-around title at the world championships and is now the most decorated gymnast in the sport's history.
Biles' eight all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in August also broke the 90-year-old U.S. Gymnastics title record previously held by Alfred Jochim, who won seven U.S. titles and two silver medals at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
@hebagowayed/Bluesky
@waitmanwbeorn/X
@eighthoften/Bluesky
@antigonesdream/Bluesky
A1