Dancing with the Stars pays tribute to late judge Len Goodman renaming Mirrorball Trophy in his honor
The late Len Goodman was honored on Tuesday during the debut of Season 32 of Dancing with the Stars, when the show declared that the Mirrorball Trophy would be named The Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
Goodman, a regular on the ABC series from 2005 to 2022, died in April at the age of 78 after a battle with bone cancer.
The show’s hosts, Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, opened the program with a speech about the late ballroom expert.
“Len was on this panel for almost all of our 31 seasons and while he is certainly irreplaceable, we wanted to keep his spirit alive,” said Hough, 35. “Len will always be with us.”
Ribeiro, 52, said of the trophy: “In tribute to him, we have redesigned and renamed our ultimate prize.”
Details: The late Len Goodman was honored Tuesday during the debut of season 32 of Dancing with the Stars. Goodman died in April at the age of 78 after a battle with bone cancer
The show’s hosts, Alfonso Ribeiro, 52, and Julianne Hough, 35, opened the program and spoke about the late ballroom expert
According to Hough and Ribeiro, the show would feature an extended dance tribute to Goodman in a few weeks.
Goodman, who died in a hospice in Kent, England, with family around him, was “a much-loved husband, father and grandfather who will be deeply missed by family, friends and all who knew him,” his manager Jackie Gill said in a statement. BBC reported upon his death.
Goodman was also a head judge on the British version of the series Strictly Come Dancing between 2004 and 2016.
This was announced by the show’s executive producer Conrad Green USA today last week that producers wanted to “make Len a permanent part of this show, to always remind people how important he was to Dancing with the Stars and how much he meant to all of us.”
He said: ‘Len loves this show and will always be there looking down on us.’
Riberio said Goodman’s influence would be evident in the first season since his death, and that “there won’t be a dry eye in the house” when the dance tributes are performed.
“I can guarantee you that all these professionals will make sure the routines are still designed for Len,” Riberio said People.
He added, “I know I’ve talked to a few of them and they’re going to take specific steps that Len used to love, just to make sure the content is still there for Len… I mean, he was the best.’
Hough said that ‘Len will always continue with us’
The show stated that the Mirrorball Trophy would be called the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy
Riberio said Goodman’s influence would be evident in the first season since his death, and that “there won’t be a dry eye in the house” when the dance tributes are performed.
Goodman was also a head judge on the British version of the series Strictly Come Dancing between 2004 and 2016.
Goodman, who was known for his excellent communication skills, quit the series in November 2022, saying: ‘It has been an enormous pleasure to be part of such a wonderful show.
‘But I have decided that I would like to spend more time with my grandchildren and family in Britain. I can’t thank you enough, my Dancing with the Stars family, it has been an amazing experience for me.”
The participants of the new season of the series consist of Ariana Madix, Jamie Lynn Spears, Mauricio Umansky, Matt Walsh, Jason Mraz, Alyson Hannigan, Mira Sorvino, Adrian Peterson, Barry Williams, Tyson Beckford, Xochitl Gomez, Harry Jowsey, Lele Pons and Charity Lawson.
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and streams on Disney+ and Hulu.