Val Chmerkovskiy has officially had his "Dancing with the Stars" suspension lifted and will rejoin his partner, Jenna Dewan, at rehearsals. The suspension was issued after Chmerkovskiy posted a social media message perceived as a threat towards judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
The dancer was suspended for one week and watched the recent dedication-themed episode from home. During his absence, fellow professional dancer Alan Bersten stepped in to dance with Dewan. Bersten had previously been eliminated from the competition with his partner, Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis.
Chmerkovskiy's social media post, which has since been deleted, featured a selfie with text referencing Will Smith's 2022 Oscars incident where he slapped Chris Rock. The post read, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night." This was in response to Inaba's harsh criticism of Chmerkovskiy's wife and fellow "DWTS" pro, Jenna Johnson.
BBC Studios, the production company behind "DWTS," stated that Chmerkovskiy's post was "inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show." Sources close to the production confirmed that Inaba saw the post and filed a complaint with HR, expressing that she felt threatened.
Following his suspension, Chmerkovskiy publicly apologized to Inaba. He stated that his intention was to defend his wife and not to cause harm, but that he made a "bad decision" by referencing a meme without considering its broader implications. He also expressed regret for causing Inaba to be caught in the middle of his misjudgment and emphasized that he did not want to be a distraction for Dewan's performance this season.
Dewan has been performing well this season, having topped the leaderboard during the "Super Bowl Night" episode. Hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough addressed the controversy on the show during the recent episode.