Tyra Banks talks Season 29 of 'Dancing With the Stars': ‘This year is a very challenging year’

From the pandemic to the nationwide protests, this season of “Dancing With the Stars” is premiering during a unique time in history. Tyra Banks, who’s taking over hosting duties from longtimers Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, admits that it’s been a very “challenging” year. “There's a lot of pain that we are all living through,” she tells Yahoo Entertainment, but adding that she’s seen, “progress that I never thought that I would see in my lifetime.” Among the big changes due to safety at the show are no live audiences and dialed-back ensemble performances. Banks admits that she typically feeds on the audience’s applause and cheering. This time, the veteran host says, it will require “a bit more heavy lifting” on her part.