You’ve probably been there. It’s Sunday night, you’re scrolling through channels or firing up a streaming app, and there it is—that familiar jingle and a video of a cat falling off a bookshelf. It’s a comfort food show. But then you look at the guy on stage and realize your brain is stuck in a different decade. Honestly, trying to keep track of who hosts America’s Funniest Videos feels like a timeline of our own lives.
Right now, if you tune in to ABC in early 2026, you’re going to see Alfonso Ribeiro. He’s the guy. He’s been the guy for a while now, actually—since 2015. But for many of us, the show is still tied to the ghosts of hosts past. Maybe you still see Bob Saget’s goofy grin or Tom Bergeron’s dry, "I’ve seen it all" wit when you close your eyes.
The Current Face: Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Ribeiro isn't just "the guy who does the Carlton." Though, let’s be real, that’s how a lot of us first met him on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He stepped into the hosting shoes for Season 26 and hasn't looked back. By now, he’s actually closing in on being the longest-running host in the show's massive history.
He brings a different energy. It’s high-octane. It’s polished. If Bob Saget was the "funny dad" and Tom Bergeron was the "cool uncle," Alfonso is like the charismatic cousin who somehow has way too much energy at the family reunion. He’s currently steering the ship through Season 36.
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Why he sticks
- The DWTS Connection: He won Dancing with the Stars in 2014, and the producers basically realized he was a Swiss Army knife of entertainment.
- Physicality: He actually moves on stage. He’s not just a talking head.
- Relatability: He’s grown up on camera, so he feels like part of the furniture in American living rooms.
The Legends Who Came Before
You can't talk about who hosts America's Funniest Videos without paying respects to the man who started the madness. Bob Saget launched the show in 1989. It was supposed to be a one-off special! Can you imagine? ABC thought, "Maybe people want to see grainy VHS tapes of babies burping," and 37 years later, here we are.
Saget's era (1989–1997) was wild. He did all those high-pitched voices for the dogs and babies. It was cheesy, sure, but it defined the 90s. When he left, there was a bit of an identity crisis. We had the duo of John Fugelsang and Daisy Fuentes for a couple of years (1998–1999). They were fine, but the chemistry was just... different. It didn't quite click the same way.
Then came the "Special" era. For a while, the show didn't even have a permanent host. You had people like Steve Carell (yes, that Steve Carell), D.L. Hughley, and Richard Kind popping in for one-off specials. It felt like the show was drifting.
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The Bergeron Renaissance
In 2001, Tom Bergeron took over. If you ask a millennial who the "real" host is, they’ll probably say Tom. He stayed for 15 seasons. He was the king of the "dad joke" that actually made you smirk because he knew exactly how ridiculous the footage was. He didn't try to be a cartoon character; he was the narrator of our collective clumsiness. He retired from the show in 2015, passing the torch to Alfonso in a literal passing-of-the-baton moment on Dancing with the Stars.
Surprising Facts About the Host Seat
Most people think it’s just reading a teleprompter. It isn't. The host actually has to work with a team of writers to react to clips they’ve seen a thousand times in rehearsal while making it feel fresh for the live audience.
- The Smithsonian Factor: The show is so culturally significant that it actually has a place in the Smithsonian’s permanent entertainment collection.
- The Voice: While we see Alfonso, we hear Jess Harnell. He’s been the narrator since 1998. If his voice sounds familiar, it’s because he’s also Wakko from Animaniacs.
- The Contract Struggles: Bob Saget actually wanted to leave sooner than he did. He was reportedly frustrated toward the end of his run and started making increasingly weird, subversive jokes that the producers had to reign in.
Why We Still Care in 2026
In a world of TikTok and YouTube Shorts, why does a hosted clip show still pull in millions of viewers? On January 15, 2026, AFV was still ranking in the top 10 for ABC's viewership. It’s the curation. We like having a host. We like the competition for the $100,000 prize.
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Whether it's Alfonso Ribeiro dancing across the stage or a guest host like Alyson Hannigan (who recently joined him for a spinoff special), the host is the glue. They turn a series of random accidents into a cohesive hour of television.
If you're looking to catch the show today, it still holds that 7 PM Sunday slot on ABC. Or, if you’ve cut the cord, Samsung TV Plus recently launched a dedicated "AFV with Alfonso Ribeiro" channel that runs the last ten seasons on a loop. It’s a lot of cat videos.
What to do next
If you've got a clip that you think is worth six figures, don't just put it on Instagram. The show still takes submissions through their official website or app. Just make sure you haven't posted it everywhere else first—they like "exclusives." Check your phone’s gallery for those accidental gems, trim the boring parts, and upload it directly to the AFV portal to see if Alfonso ends up introducing your family's biggest fail to the world.