Val Chmerkovskiy has been one of the most recognizable faces on Dancing With the Stars for well over a decade. But the veteran pro will now be forced to sit out an episode after a social media post aimed at one of the show’s judges.
Chmerkovskiy has been suspended for next week’s show after appearing to reference Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap while defending his wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson. It’s the first known suspension of a pro dancer in the show’s history.
Carrie Ann Inaba’s Critique
The controversy started during last week’s “Super Bowl Night” episode, when judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized Johnson and her celebrity partner, actor Harry Shum Jr.
Inaba called out a lift in the couple’s samba, even going as far as reading the definition of a lift during her critique.
Chmerkovskiy then took to TikTok to seemingly defend his wife, writing, “You almost saw the Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.”
Obviously, the post was widely seen as a reference to Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage at the 2022 Academy Awards. Chmerkovskiy later deleted it.
‘Inappropriate’
On Saturday, BBC Studios, which produces the ABC competition series, confirmed that Chmerkovskiy would be held out of Tuesday’s “Dedication Night” episode.
“The well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is non-negotiable,” the company said in a statement via Fox News. “Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show. As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”
In the meantime, Chmerkovskiy’s celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan, will dance with Alan Bersten. Bersten was eliminated in Week 2 alongside his partner, Giada De Laurentiis.
Chmerkovskiy Apologizes
Chmerkovskiy has apologized to Inaba both publicly and privately. In a message on his Instagram Stories, he said that he never intended for the post to come across the way it did.
“In a moment where my instinct was to defend my wife, I made a poor decision to reference a meme to ‘keep my wife’s name’ out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention,” he wrote.
“Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was,” Chmerkovskiy added.
He also said that he didn’t want the situation to take away from Dewan or the upcoming episode.
“The last thing I want is to become a distraction from an important week or from the incredible work my dance partner Jenna Dewan is putting in,” he wrote. “Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole ‘DWTS’ family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”
It’s certainly a unique situation that seems to be a first in the show’s history.
