Tom Bergeron has a new role in the works—and it has nothing to do with TV hosting.
The former ”Dancing with the Stars” host will co-star in an upcoming holiday drama, titled “Family Tree,” alongside his longtime friend, William Shatner.
The news came a few hours before the “Dancing With the Stars” Season 34 cast was announced by ABC amid buzz that Bergeron could make a cameo in honor of the show’s 20th anniversary on the air. Bergeron hosted DWTS for 28 seasons.
Tom Bergeron & William Shatner Co-Created ‘Family Tree’
GettyOn Sept. 3, Deadline reported that Pathway Pictures will produce “Family Tree.” The outlet described the project as “a new holiday-set dramedy created by William Shatner and Tom Bergeron.”
Shatner, 94, will star as Frank, while Bergeron, 70, will portray a character named Jeff. The screenplay, about three estranged siblings who reunite at Christmas, was written by Katie Amanda Keane and “Fuller House” alum Marla Sokoloff and will be directed by Sokoloff.
Not long after the DWTS Season 34 cast was announced by ABC, Bergeron posted an article about his “Family Tree” project on Instagram and captioned it with, “In other news…”
While he’s best known as a television host, Bergeron does have several acting credits on his resume. He has appeared in two episodes of “Star Trek: Enterprise,” a 2010 episode of “Castle,” and more, per IMDb.
“Family Tree” will begin production in 2026.
Tom Bergeron 1st Teased the Project in 2023
Bergeron previously teased the project in early 2023 when he shared a photo on Instagram that showed him holding a screenplay titled “Family Tree.” The cover page revealed that the script was written by Keane and Solokoff. “Story by Tom Bergeron and William Shatner,” it also read.
“Stay tuned,” the veteran DWTS host captioned the post more than two years ago.
Bergeron also responded to a fan who asked him, “Are you working on a new game show or a tv show?”
“Nope. Playing in different sandboxes in 2023,” Bergeron replied.
“[William Shatner] and I came up with the story (inspired by a real incident in my life) and [Katie Amanda Keane] and [Marla Solokoff] masterfully wove it into the screenplay I’m holding. Hope to share more info soon,” Bergeron added.
Shatner also commented that Bergeron “relayed a story” to him and that he “asked all the right questions, bringing out the best parts that he neglected to originally tell” him. He then told Bergeron the story would make a great project, and the rest is history.
