Amid a firestorm of controversy, “Dancing with the Stars” pro Val Chmerkovskiy issued a public apology to judge Carrie Ann Inaba for his reaction to her critique of his wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, and actor Harry Shum Jr. following their performance on the live show two nights prior.
In an evening Instagram story posted on October 15, 2026, Chmerkovskiy wrote, “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.”
“I should never have made the reference that I did and I deeply regret it,” he continued. “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.”
Chmerkovskiy concluded, “I am truly sorry to Carrie Ann, and everyone I hurt with my careless post. I will do better moving forward. ❤️”
Val Chmerkovskiy Came Under Fire For Threatening Remark
During ‘DWTS’ on October 13, Chmerkovskiy took issue with Inaba’s hotly debated comments after Johnson and Shum’s Super Bowl Night samba, performed to Usher’s “Yeah!” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris. She told the duo they needed to “put more content in your dances especially because … you’re so good, like, I want to see you challenge yourself a little bit more.”
“And there was a lift,” Inaba added, to which Johnson replied, “A lift?” As Inaba tersely read off the rule forbidding lifts during the samba, Chmerkovskiy, who’s also competing on the show with actress Jenna Dewan, could be seen in the background, shaking his head in disagreement. Later, Johnson admitted that Inaba’s comments left her in tears backstage.
After the live show, Chmerkovskiy took his frustration a step further by posting a mirror selfie on TikTok and writing, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.” The remark seemingly referred to former “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star Will Smith’s slapping of comedian Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars, after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith‘s bald head. Smith yelled at the comedian, “Keep my wife’s name out ya [expletive] mouth!”
Many fans were appalled by Chmerkovskiy’s reference, equating it to threatening violence against a woman, and he deleted the post. After Inaba saw posts about his remark by media outlets, she shared one on Instagram and wrote over it, “So this is what we are doing now?”
DWTS Fans React to Val Chmerkovskiy’s Apology to Carrie Ann Inaba
As soon as Chmerkovskiy’s apology was posted, fans had plenty to say on social media. Some were not satisfied, urging ABC to give him serious consequences and questioning his authenticity.
“Still needs to be fired,” one person tweeted. “No tolerance for that type of behavior. If Brandon or Britt did that, they’d get fired regardless of apologizing or not.”
Another tweeted, “Val could’ve kept that apology. It was giving ‘I’m not sorry for what I said…I’m sorry for HOW I said it’. #DWTS”
But others said they were satisfied and wanted to move on, including one who wrote on Instagram, “I’m glad he reached out and spoke to her. There is 0 reason why we need to take things there. She’s doing her job and he’s doing his. Emotions her high sometimes but at the end of the day it’s JUST DANCING, everyone needs to CALM DOWN.”
“Dancing with the Stars” airs live each Tuesday night on ABC and Disney+ at 8 p.m. Eastern time. At the time of publication, Chmerkovskiy and Dewan were still expected to compete during Dedication Night on the next episode, October 20.
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Fans React as Val Chmerkovskiy Issues Public Apology to ‘DWTS’ Judge Carrie Ann Inaba: ‘Truly Sorry’