I had the choice of becoming an old idiot or an icon: Stéphane Bern, full of gratitude, looks back on his adventure in Dancing with the Stars

Touch of Queen Elizabeth II – who decorated him for his work promoting royal history in France – and a true well of historical knowledge, Stéphane Bern emerges as one of the leading figures in French media. A television host and writer, he decided in January 2026 to swap his microphone and tailored suits for the dance floor of “Dancing with the Stars”.

Marked by the presence of widely popular personalities with the general public, season 15 of DALS has just announced its finale with the victory of Samuel Bambi and Ana Riera over Juju Fitcats and Jordan Mouillerac. This was an opportunity for Stéphane Bern, who tried his hand at a fiery tango with his dancer Calisson Goasdoué, to reflect on this unique adventure.

“Something that appealed to me was meeting the young generation”: Stéphane Bern recounts this profoundly human adventure. Eliminated at the end of the fourth prime, on Friday, February 20, the budding historian discusses the opportunity he had to participate in the program. Close to his inner child, he shares, “It was both ‘why not’ but also ‘oh, that amuses me because that’s not where people expect me’. It’s a beautiful challenge. And I wondered if at my age I was still capable of dancing or learning things.” Before earnestly adding, “And then there was something that I liked, it was meeting the young generation. If I hadn’t done this show, I would never have met them, the Marcus, the Maghla, the Jujufitcats and her husband Tibo inShape.”

He who claims that “Dancing with the Stars” is a “diversion” from his daily life establishes himself as a reference among the younger generation, especially through his participation in the TV crochet. “Every time people drink their tea in a cup with my face, they send me a picture, I find it kind,” declares the partner of Yori Bailleres. What also warms his heart is when he “sees 17-18 year old girls with tote bags featuring his face walking in the streets.” With a touch of humor, he concludes with these beautiful words: “I had the choice to become an old grump or an icon… and I preferred to become an icon.”

“Dancing with the Stars 2026: how much was Stéphane Bern paid for his participation in the program?” At the dawn of the launch of the new season of DALS, the magazine “Public” mentioned fees ranging from 130,000 euros for Ian Ziering to 25,000 euros for Emma, a former candidate from the “Star Academy”, and 80,000 euros for Stéphane Bern. These are details the radio host denies. “Everything is false. The figures I saw were fanciful concerning me,” he states.

Far from the American culture that has no trouble discussing finances, Stéphane Bern admitted to not discussing the financial aspect of the program with other contestants. In fact, he took this opportunity to shed light on the financial workings of “Dancing with the Stars”. Contrary to preconceived notions, participants do not receive a fixed fee. “We are paid based on the number of primes we do. There is a budget for the season and a budget for the primes,” he affirms. A clear explanation.