March madness, indeed! Tom Bergeron, the longtime host of America's Funniest Home Videos, announced Tuesday, Mar. 11 that he's leaving the show after 13 years.
"I'm embracing change this month," he told Vulture in a statement. "I've decided that, after 15 wonderful seasons as host of AFV, next year, the show's 25th anniversary(!!) will be my last." While the show will continue, Bergeron's replacement remains unknown.
Bergeron's departure announcement explains his cryptic tweet from last Friday, March 7. "March Madness: I begin hosting my 18th season of @DancingABC on 3/17 and wrap up shooting my penultimate season as host of @AFVofficial 3/27," wrote the personality.
"As Doctor Who fans know, every so often a regeneration is a good thing," Bergeron told Vulture.
The 58-year-old personality, who's emceed the beloved home video show since 2001, walks away from AFV as its longest-tenured host with a whopping 270 episodes already under his belt. Prior to Bergeron, America's Funniest Home Videos was hosted by Full House alum Bob Saget for 11 years from 1989 to 2011.
The Sunday show has attracted a large number of viewers, which has now translated to online numbers: Vulture reports that AFV averages 6.6. million viewers per week, which might explain why Bergeron hinted at a possible spinoff show Tuesday.
"True, but we're not 'parting,' possibly," he tweeted along with a link to Vulture's piece. "We've already pitched a LIVE spin-off show to ABC."
Bergeron will continue hosting ABC's smash reality competition show Dancing With the Stars, now in its 18th season. The big difference this season is Bergeron's new co-host, Erin Andrews, who replaces the recently fired Brooke Burke-Charvet.
