Bumps and bruises are pretty common in the ballroom. “Dancing With the Stars” pro Val Chmerkovskiy has won several Mirrorball trophies, but even he isn’t immune to accidents on the dance floor.
During an episode of his new podcast, “Stepping on Toes,” the Ukrainian dancer told Danielle Fishel that he suffered a pretty hefty injury while dancing with Zendaya. The pair teamed up for DWTS season 16. Zendaya was a 16-year-old Disney Channel star at the time.
Though Val needed stitches, he remembered reassuring Zendaya that he was alright and that the show must go on.
Val Chmerkovskiy Recognized Zendaya’s Star Potential Early On
Before Zendaya was the international superstar she is today, she was a teen actor on Disney Channel. And she accidentally hit Val Chmerkovskiy in the face with her elbow during rehearsal.
“While in Palm Springs for @dwtscon_official – @valentin and Danielle sat down to recap the new episode of The Next Pro and share war stories from the ballroom. Listen now to Stepping on Toes wherever you get your podcasts…” Danielle Fishel and Val Chmerkovskiy captioned the new teaser for their podcast.
“I’ve been hit with elbows many, many times throughout my career. Zendaya rocked me in the eye with her elbow during that run and blood everywhere, gushing, gushing all over the dance floor,” Val shared in the episode, explaining that there wasn’t enough time for him to go to the hospital and receive stitches.
Ultimately, the medical team put butterfly tape over the injury and sent him back out on the floor.
“And the show must go on,” Val continued. “At the time, I told her, ‘You know, one day I’ll be able to say that I got these stitches from the Zendaya.’ I mean look at that, foreshadowing.”
After co-starring in both “The Odyssey” and the new “Spider-Man” film, Zendaya and her husband, Tom Holland, are taking some much-deserved time to themselves.
Zendaya Took the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Loss Hard
Although many “Dancing With the Stars” fans fully expected Val Chmerkovskiy and Zendaya to win, they ultimately placed second behind Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough.
“Listen, I’m still harboring a little animosity about that,” the “Spider-Man” star told W Magazine in 2025. “I felt that loss. I was only 16 years old, and it was highly stressful. Being on live television every week? It’s so scary. I took it very seriously, which, in retrospect, I wish I didn’t. I wish I’d enjoyed it a little bit more and just was like, ‘Eh, whatever.’ You know what I mean? But I was stressing myself out. I really went through it on that.”
She admitted that she hasn’t really watched “Dancing With the Stars” since.
Val Chmerkovskiy is expected to return to “Dancing With the Stars” season 35 during the season premiere at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15. There will be a second episode the following night on Wednesday, September 16.
Zendaya stars in “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” both now in theaters.
