To kick off the season 32 premiere Dancing with the stars On Tuesday, co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough honored late judge Len Goodman with a heartwarming tribute.
Goodman died in April at the age of 78 after a battle with bone cancer, his agent confirmed at the time. He retired a few months earlier Dancing with the starssaying he wanted to ‘spend more time with my grandchildren and family’ in Britain.
Ribeiro started the show by acknowledging Goodman’s absence, saying, “We’re obviously missing a big part of ours.” Dancing with the stars family tonight.”
“Len was on this panel for almost all of our 31 seasons. And while he is irreplaceable, we wanted to keep his spirit alive,” Hough added.
“And that’s why, in tribute to him, we’ve redesigned and renamed our ultimate prize,” Ribeiro said before introducing the newly named Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
Earlier this month, DWTS executive producer Conrad Green revealed USA today that the infamous mirrorball trophy had been officially renamed in Goodman’s honor.
“The Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy will now be disbanded Dancing with the stars like the Vince Lombardi trophy being lifted during the Super Bowl,” Green said at the time. “We wanted to make Len a permanent part of this show, to always remind people how important he was Dancing with the stars and how much he meant to all of us.”
Hough added during the premiere, “It’s so fantastic that Len will always be with us.” She also teased a “spectacular tribute to Len from our dancers” in the coming weeks.
Before Goodman appeared Dancing with the stars from 2005 to 2022 he was a chief jury member Come strictly dancethe British version of the show, from its launch on the BBC in 2004 until 2016.
