‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Suspended From the Show Following Inappropriate Response to Judge’s Critique

Longtime Dancing With the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended for a week following his inappropriate response to Carrie Ann Inaba’s critique of his wife, Jenna Johnson, during the show’s Super Bowl Night.

In a since-deleted TikTok post last week, Chmerkovskiy referenced Will Smith’s infamous Oscar slap incident while speaking about Inaba’s critique.

“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” he wrote.

Inaba shared her thoughts on the comment in an Instagram message, writing, “So this is what we are doing now?” The message also featured photos of Chmerkovskiy and Smith. She then thanked the New York Post and Entertainment Weekly for “bringing this to” her attention.

Chmerkovskiy attempted to fix the situation, writing on Instagram, “I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post. I have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally, and I also want to apologize publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside of our internal DWTS family.

“I should have never made the reference that I did, and I deeply regret it,” he continued. “I recognize that I am in a fortunate position to have a platform and to be a role model to some, and I need to treat that with more care by actively pausing to think before I post to ensure what I am sharing aligns with who I am, and who I want to be for you all.”

Although he quickly apologized, Chmerkovskiy faced consequences for his mishap. In a statement on Saturday, BBC Studios confirmed the pro’s suspension. “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. As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”

Chmerkovskiy also issued a statement after the suspension announcement, calling the video a “poor decision” and “bad judgment” on his part.

“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,” he explained. “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.”

The pro dancer also wrote, “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!!”

Chmerkovskiy’s celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan, will still participate in this week’s episode despite his suspension.