Val Chmerkovskiy Suspended from 'Dancing with the Stars' for Controversial Social Media Post

Val Chmerkovskiy, a professional dancer on "Dancing with the Stars," has been suspended for one week from the show following a social media post that sparked controversy. The dancer was accused of threatening to slap judge Carrie Ann Inaba after his wife, Jenna Johnson, received a low score during a recent episode.

Following the show's broadcast, Chmerkovskiy shared a now-deleted post to his TikTok Story, stating, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night." Many viewers interpreted this as a reference to Will Smith's infamous on-air altercation with Chris Rock at the 2023 Oscars, where Smith slapped Rock after a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. The comparison drew significant backlash online.

BBC Studios confirmed Chmerkovskiy's suspension, stating that his social media post was inappropriate and did not align with the show's standards. "The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable," the studio said in a statement. "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 issued a statement acknowledging his poor judgment. "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 explained. He specifically apologized to Inaba, stating, "Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was."

He also expressed regret for becoming a distraction from the show and his dance partner, Jenna Dewan. "Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!"

During the episode in question, Chmerkovskiy was visibly displeased when Inaba critiqued Johnson and her partner Harry Shum Jr.'s samba performance, particularly their use of a lift, which is against the rules for the dance style. Inaba scored the couple an eight.

Following the on-air critique, Chmerkovskiy commented on a video of the moment, writing, "Put some respect on [my wife's] name. She's trippin' talking to her like that." The subsequent TikTok post intensified the public reaction.

Inaba responded to the controversy by posting a screenshot of an article about Chmerkovskiy's comment on Instagram with the caption, "So this is what we are doing now?"

Chmerkovskiy had previously apologized on his Instagram Stories, stating, "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 our internal DWTS family."

He added, "I should never have made the reference that I did and I deeply regret it. I recognize that I 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 I am, and who I want to be for you all."