Jenna Dewan’s Fiancé Speaks out After ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Partner Val Chmerkovskiy Suspension

Jenna Dewan’s fiancé, Steve Kazee, is speaking out after the actress’s Dancing With the Stars partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, received a one-week suspension.

In his latest Instagram Stories post, Kazee praised Dewan for her dedication and performance on the show.

“Everytime I think I can’t love you more, your grace, your class, and your heart prove me wrong,” he wrote in the caption of a photo featuring Dewan on the show. “You got this baby! We got you!”

The post was made just hours after it was announced that Chmerkovskiy was benched from the upcoming episode after he made an inappropriate comment toward the show’s judge, Carrie Ann Inaba, after she critiqued his wife, Jenna Johnson. He referenced Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards.

“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” he wrote in the comment, which was since deleted.

Although the dancing pro has apologized for the remark, Dancing With the Stars’ production company, BBC Studios, announced on Saturday that Chmerkovskiy would sit out the next live show because of his comment.

“The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,” BBC Studios shared in a statement. “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.”

Chmerkovskiy also apologized for his actions. “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 further pointed out that Inaba didn’t deserve to get “caught in the middle” of his “bad judgment.”

“And I hate that she was,” the dancing pro continued. “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. Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”

Fellow dancing pro Alan Bersten will take Chmerkovskiy’s spot for the upcoming show. He was eliminated earlier in the season alongside his celebrity partner Giada de Laurentiis.

He and Dewan will be performing a Viennese waltz to The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” to honor the actress’s mother, Nancy Bursch.