Bobby Bones Thought Giving Back His ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Trophy Would Help — It Didn’t

Bobby Bones is reflecting on his decision to return his Dancing with the Stars Mirrorball Trophy — and opening up about just how much the backlash stung.

“I had a minor meltdown,” Bones shared on the recent episode of his Bobbycast podcast, referring to his unexpected back-and-forth with former DWTS host Tom Bergeron.

Though he still says he loves and respects Bergeron, the flippant remark about his win caught him completely off guard — especially given their bond during the show.

‘Hurt My Feelings’

The moment that set everything in motion? A recent Parade interview where Bergeron named Bones as one of the most surprising winners in DWTS history — even though he wasn’t directly asked about him.

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“I have total awareness of my entire situation,” Bones said. “It hurt my feelings so much.”

“I have a job where I give opinions all the time... when I create controversy, which I do at times, I’m good because I signed up for this," he continued. "But this is the only thing where I was the underdog who won — and that’s held against me.”

More than the comment itself, it was who said it that left a mark.

“That was somebody who was so helpful to me during the show, ‘cause he knew I was struggling,” Bones recalled. “I still love Tom. But that hurt my feelings.”

Why He Returned the Trophy — and Might Take It Back

Feeling dismissed and deflated, Bones announced he would return his Season 27 Mirrorball Trophy to ABC — a decision he now admits he may be rethinking.

“I was made to feel I was really bad at dancing, which I was, [but] then I got to be OK,” he said. “Someone has reached out to me from the network and said they would give it back. It’s whatever I want.”

For Bones, the issue runs deeper than just an offhand remark.

“It’s not just about Tom. It’s the association sometimes. I look at [the trophy] and that’s the only thing I’ve ever done where I purposefully just tried hard, worked hard, tried to make people better around me,” he shared.

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“I did everything I could to help, and then for people to go, ‘We think you’re less than’ — that was my association with the trophy," the radio host explained.

A Surprise Gig That Meant More Than Expected

Bones also revealed he hadn’t planned on doing Dancing with the Stars in the first place — the opportunity came about as a way to promote his role on American Idol. But once he signed on, he went all in.

“I was so committed,” he said. “I was proud of myself. [And] I wasn’t as bad as I was made to believe I was. I’m not good, by the way.”

He says he hasn’t poured that level of effort into anything else — except for marrying his wife, Caitlin Parker, in 2021.