Val Chmerkovskiy will not be in the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom this week. BBC Studios benched the longtime pro for one episode after he posted – and quickly deleted – a TikTok story referencing Will Smith’s Oscars slap while defending his wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, from a critique by judge Carrie Ann Inaba. Here is exactly what Val said, why ABC’s producer called it “inappropriate,” and what it means for his partner Jenna Dewan on Dedication Night.
What did Val Chmerkovskiy say about Carrie Ann Inaba?
The flashpoint was a single line on Chmerkovskiy’s TikTok story Wednesday: “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” per Variety. Fans read it instantly as a nod to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars after telling him to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth – and Inaba saw it too. She responded on her own Instagram (“So this is what we are doing now?” per USA Today) and thanked the media for flagging the remark. The post was deleted within hours.
The lift critique that started it
Tuesday’s Super Bowl Night episode set the stage. After Jenna Johnson and actor Harry Shum Jr. danced a samba to Usher’s “Yeah!,” Inaba told Johnson her routines needed more content and called out an illegal lift, then read the rulebook definition out loud in the ballroom: any movement where a dancer has both feet off the floor with a partner’s assistance. She appeared to mean a backflip Shum performed with help from troupe dancers, not from Johnson – which is why the call confused the couple and, within a day, half the DWTS family. Val’s brother Maks Chmerkovskiy argued on “The Viall Files” that the lift rule applies to the competing couple, not background dancers. Peta Murgatroyd and Hilaria Baldwin publicly agreed the rule needs consistency, while Shum told fans to “take a deep breath.”
The apology – and then the suspension
Chmerkovskiy apologized Thursday on his Instagram story, saying he had reached out to Inaba “directly and personally” and that “I should have never made the reference that I did and I deeply regret it.” It was not enough. On Saturday, BBC Studios – which produces the show – announced he will sit out this week’s episode: “The well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is non-negotiable. Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show.”
Val followed with his own statement, explaining that his instinct was to defend his wife and that he made “a poor decision to reference a meme… without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention. Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.”
Who does Jenna Dewan dance with now?
Dewan, Chmerkovskiy’s celebrity partner this season, stays in the competition. Variety confirms she will dance Tuesday’s Dedication Night with Alan Bersten, the pro eliminated in week three. She is performing a Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody,” dedicated to her mother – and a source tells Variety she “has continued to be a true professional and respectful of the process.” Chmerkovskiy said he will be “watching and cheering everyone on” from home.
What this means for viewers
The suspension is one week only. Barring another twist, Val should be back in the ballroom for the episode after Dedication Night, and Dewan’s partnership with him is expected to resume.
Dedication Night airs Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, streaming next day on Hulu and Disney+. Dewan and Bersten’s Viennese waltz is the dance to watch.
Chmerkovskiy has danced on the show since season two and is one of its most decorated pros, so a one-episode benching is a notable line for the franchise to draw – and it lands in a season where Inaba has spoken candidly to Variety about the negativity judges absorb online.
