Former DWTS host Tom Bergeron's new gig involves dancing... and a few sharks, too tram

It's been nearly five years since Tom Bergeron announced he was leaving his post as host of Dancing With the Stars — but he's finally returning to the world of ballroom... sort of.

Bergeron revealed he was bringing dancing to this year's Shark Week in a comical video on his Instagram on Wednesday. Bergeron begins the video, which features John Williams' iconic score from Jaws, with his hand covering part of his shirt. After a fake yawn and a sneeze, he slowly drops his hand to reveal the words "Dancing With Sharks" emblazoned on his chest.

The words "See you this summer! It will be fintastic!" are inlaid on the video, which also features the written caption, "Yup. It’s happening." The TV host tagged the official accounts for Shark Week and Discovery in the post, but didn't provide further details on what exactly this means.

However, a press release from Warner Bros. Discovery states: "Hosted by Emmy Award-winning television personality Tom Bergeron, Dancing With Sharks is a new Shark Week 2025 special that features an unprecedented underwater dance competition between expert divers and their shark partners. Blending skill, grace and the daring pursuit of the ultimate underwater thrill, five divers — all trained by a world-class underwater choreographer — will compete to show off their skills during epic underwater dances."

It continues, "Each diver will attempt to outperform their competitors, with moves including the Hammerhead Hoedown and Tiger Trot, and redefine dancing with danger. They will have one shot to wow the judges and be crowned the first-ever champion of Dancing With Sharks." Who had that on their Shark Week bingo card?

Bergeron hosted ABC's Dancing With the Stars for 15 years, from 2005-2020. In July 2020, he announced his departure, tweeting, "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?"

A statement from ABC at the time claimed the move was born from the network's desire to "embark on a new creative direction." A joint statement from ABC and BBC Studios 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."

Bergeron later admitted he "wasn't surprised" he was "fired" from the show.

"In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved," he told the late Bob Saget on the Here for You podcast in 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]. It wasn't a pleasant [experience]." (He later admitted on Cheryl Burke's podcast Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans things got particularly contentious when producers cast ex-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer for season 28, and he made his displeasure with the decision known.)

This year's Shark Week is set to air on Discovery Channel July 6-13.