Carrie Ann Inaba doesn't sound too happy that Brooke Burke-Charvet was fired from Dancing With the Stars.
The longtime judge said she had no idea her good friend was on the co-hosting chopping block.
"I was floored," Inaba told me at last night's World Gold Council and LoveGold pre-Oscar party in honor of Oscar nominee Lupita Nyong'o. "I immediately texted her to see if she was OK."
ABC announced on Monday that Burke-Charvet is being replaced by sports reporter Erin Andrews.
"We all know this kind of stuff happens in our business and we all have to be prepared and nothing's forever and you have to be willing to change, but it was shocking," Inaba continued. "I'm not going to lie—I was shocked and saddened."
Burke-Charvet exclusively confirmed to E! News on Friday that she wouldn't be returning to DWTS.
"I have enjoyed seven seasons co-hosting DWTS but understand the need for change considering the position of the show at this juncture," she said in a statement. "I've always been one to embrace change and looking forward to pursuing opportunities I previously wasn't able to entertain because of contractual obligations to the show. I've seen my fair share of shocking eliminations in the ballroom but this one takes the cake."
Describing Andrews as "really tough," Inaba said, "I think it's going to change the vibe of the show a little bit."
"I think that when she's asking questions she's going to push some buttons a little bit," she said. "I'm curious to see how that'll work."
Sources told E! News yesterday that ABC hopes Andrews will lure back younger viewers and increase viewership. "They don't want the ratings to keep dipping," a source who works on the show said.
Although Dancing routinely beat NBC's The Voice in its most recent season, it has been hemorrhaging young viewers in recent seasons—many of whom have switched over to The Voice.
For more from Inaba, check out E! News tonight at 7 and 11:30 p.m.