No bad intentions! Brooke Burke is clearing the air about the comments she made about Tyra Banks being a “diva” when she started as the new host of Dancing With the Stars.
“Boy was that big news when I called her a diva,” television personality, 51, exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, November 14, while promoting her collaboration with Longevity. “So not meant in [a] negative way.”
Burke made headlines after appearing on David Yontef’s “Behind the Velvet Rope” podcast in April and talking about her experience on the Disney+ reality competition series. She noted that Bank’s first season hosting was a “tough transition” for both viewers and the cast.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, and I’m not saying anything bad about her. Be a diva,” the Brooke Burke Body founder said at the time. “It’s [just] not the place to be a diva. Your pros are the diva[s], your winners, your perfect 10-score dancer who’s never done it — that defines diva in the ballroom.”
On Monday, Burke told Us that she meant no ill will for the America’s Next Top Model star, 48.
“’Diva’ is not a negative thing. ‘Diva’ is a fabulous thing,” she clarified. “If I would’ve said ‘queen,’ it would’ve been OK.”
Banks joined the Disney+ show in July 2020 after the series parted ways with Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. The Life-Size actress got off to a rocky start during her first season of DWTS, from wardrobe malfunctions to announcing the wrong bottom two couples — earning criticism from viewers.
“Every host messes up. It’s just normal. It’s live TV. If it wasn’t live, there would be no mess-ups,” she exclusively told Us in September 2020. “Even on America’s Next Top Model, I would mess up and tell my editors to leave it in. That’s what makes things human and makes things alive. … It’s better than being like a doll.”
Banks returned to host season 30 and the latest season, which is currently airing on Disney+, where she was joined by Alfonso Ribeiro as her new cohost.
Banks exclusively told Us in September how excited she was to have the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star, 51, join her in the ballroom.
“When the team brought up the idea of Alfonso with me, I was like, ‘Yes, yes and yes, let’s stop right there and look no further.’ Nostalgia is everything these days, so I felt that Alfonso and I being together on a stage again after those fun Fresh Prince of Bel-Air times will be fun for so many to see. And fun for Alfonso and I, too,” she said at the time.
While Burke, a former mirrorball champion, hasn’t stayed up to date on the show, she did share that she misses “so many moments” from her hosting gig.
“It was one of the greatest gigs of my life. I feel like I did everything I needed to do in the ballroom,” the Rock Star alum said while reflecting on if she would want to return to the show. “I don’t know. I love live television. I do miss hosting live television, and there’s something to be said about having experienced both sides of the ballroom. Being a competitor and being a host gave me so much compassion for everyone.”
The fitness personality also shared her excitement for Brooke Burke Body’s first collaboration with Longevity — nutrient dense, plant-based superfood blends free of wheat, gluten, and dairy. Burke uses the powder in shakes she makes for herself and her children. She also mentions it can be used for baking and making healthy snacks, and there are even some holiday-themed flavors.
“We just put together a whole Thanksgiving menu on my app,” she shared. “So, I’m gonna be sharing recipes and fun things that you can do from grab and go snacks to really yummy shake ideas.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
