Dancing with the Stars has suspended Val Chmerkovskiy following a controversial social media post that reportedly appeared to reference Will Smith. The DWTS star defended his wife, Jenna Johnson, after judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized her routine. However, the post led to consequences ahead of the next episode.
Val Chmerkovskiy’s Carrie Ann Inaba controversy leads to suspension
Val Chmerkovskiy will miss next week’s Dancing with the Stars episode following a controversial social media post about judge Carrie Ann Inaba. BBC Studios, which produces the show, confirmed the decision in a statement on this past weekend (via ABC News).
The company posted, “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.”
The controversy began after Tuesday’s Super Bowl Night episode. Inaba criticized professional dancer Jenna Johnson for including a lift in her routine. Chmerkovskiy responded in a now-deleted TikTok post after the incident.
He reportedly appeared to reference the 2022 Oscars incident where Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. However, Chmerkovskiy later addressed the controversy and admitted his response was a mistake.
“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.
DWTS star also acknowledged that Inaba was unfairly caught in the controversy. “Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.” Chmerkovskiy’s suspension also affects his partner, Jenna Dewan.
She will now dance with Alan Bersten on Tuesday’s episode, after their strong performance last week. BBC Studios says Dewan understands the change and remains professional.
