Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy have reunited for rehearsals following his recent suspension from Dancing With the Stars. Chmerkovskiy missed one episode of the competition after making a controversial comment on social media. Now, the pair are preparing for the show’s upcoming Halloween performance.
Jenna Dewan confirms Val Chmerkovskiy’s return to rehearsals ahead of DWTS Halloween Night
Dewan confirmed the reunion in an October 25 Instagram Story while teasing their upcoming performance. “Hey everybody, here we are,” she said while introducing their rehearsal. She revealed they were preparing an Argentine tango inspired by 28 Weeks Later.
The October 27 performance will feature the song “Uninvited.” Chmerkovskiy appeared cheerful in the video, wiping sweat from his forehead during practice. Chmerkovskiy’s return follows a one-week suspension from Dancing With the Stars.
The suspension followed Chmerkovskiy’s controversial response to judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s criticism of his wife, Jenna Johnson. Inaba had evaluated Johnson and her celebrity partner, Harry Shum Jr. Chmerkovskiy referenced the infamous Will Smith and Chris Rock Oscars slap in a since-deleted TikTok comment.
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” he wrote. Remove this sentence, as Correction 7 already explains the reference. Chmerkovskiy later clarified that he never intended to suggest physically confronting Inaba.
“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,” he wrote in an October 17 Instagram Story. He acknowledged failing to consider what else the reference could imply. He emphasized that he had never intended to imply any threat of physical violence.
Chmerkovskiy also apologized for dragging Inaba into the controversy during the competition. “Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was,” he wrote. He said he did not want to distract from Dewan’s work.
During his suspension, Dewan performed with professional dancer Alan Bersten. They honored her mother, Nancy Lee Bursch, with a Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody.” The judges awarded their routine 37 out of 40 points.
Chmerkovskiy thanked Bersten for stepping in. “Jenna looks so good and most importantly happy,” he commented on Bersten’s Instagram post. The pair will return to the ballroom together for the October 27 Halloween Horror Movie Night episode.
