“Dancing With the Stars” is benching Val Chmerkovskiy after his recent joke about judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
“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,” BBC Studios said in a statement on Saturday. “As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”
Chmerkovskiy shared a statement of his own following the announcement that he will not be in the ballroom, writing on Instagram, “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. Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.”
He 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!!”
For context, during the Oct. 13 episode of “Dancing With the Stars,” judge Carrie Ann Inaba critiqued Jenna Johnson (who is married to Chmerkovskiy) for having a lift in her routine, and read her the definition of said lift. Afterward, Chmerkovskiy posted to his TikTok story, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” seemingly referencing Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, after saying, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”
The post was quickly deleted, but Inaba saw it and commented on her own Instagram, thanking the media for alerting her to his remark.
Chmerkovskiy, who has appeared on “Dancing With the Stars” since the second season, later apologized to Inaba and the viewers he upset, posting the following message on his Instagram Story on Thursday: “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 recognize that l 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 l am, and who I want to be for you all. I am truly sorry to Carrie Ann, and everyone who I hurt with my careless post. I will do better moving forward.”
Jenna Dewan, Chermkovskiy’s partner, will still dance at dedication week, Variety confirms, and will be paired with Alan Bersten, who was eliminated in week three. Dewan will be dancing a Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody,” dedicated to her mother.
“Jenna Dewan is aware and has continued to be a true professional and respectful of the process,” the source tells Variety. “Jenna is a beloved part of the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ family, and we are grateful for the joy and positivity she brings to the show.”
During Season 34, Inaba opened up to Variety about the criticism and constant booing she receives in the ballroom — something the male judges, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, do not.
“It used to really affect me. I have been targeted with this kind of negativity since the show began, back when we had chat rooms. I remember seeing some horrible words written about me, and I was shocked,” she shared. “Sometimes the things they say are cruel, and that has affected me. It’s made me scared. It’s not so much that I get hurt as I get afraid, because it feels like they’re attacking me verbally, so I shrink down a little during the season, especially after week five or six.”