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Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from “Dancing With the Stars” for one week following a controversial social media post referencing Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap.
“The well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,'” read a statement from producer BBC Studios, per Deadline.
“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 responded in a statement obtained by Page Six on Saturday.
“As you may have seen in the news, I won’t be in the ballroom this week,” he wrote.
“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,” the statement continued.
“Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.”
“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,” he concluded.
“Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”
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