Jenna Dewan has a new partner for “Dancing With the Stars,” and fans will see a familiar face beside her when she returns to the ballroom.
The actress, 45, will perform with professional dancer Alan Bersten during the show’s Dedication Night episode on Tuesday, Oct. 20, Us Weekly reported Saturday, Oct. 17.
Bersten Is Coming Back
Bersten, 32, previously competed during Season 35 but was eliminated alongside celebrity partner Giada De Laurentiis.
He has yet to release a statement on coming back to DWTS after his elimination.
Dewan had originally been paired with Val Chmerkovskiy, 40, who will miss the upcoming broadcast following controversial social media comments about judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
The news of his absence comes after a tense week for the professional dancer and the show’s judging panel.
Despite the unexpected change, Dewan will continue with her planned dedication performance.
She is set to honor her mother, Nancy, with a Viennese waltz to The Righteous Brothers’ classic song “Unchained Melody.”
The switch puts Bersten back on the ballroom floor after his elimination earlier in the season. It also gives Dewan a new partner as she prepares for one of the show’s more personal themed episodes.
Chmerkovskiy’s absence was announced after he faced backlash for a since-deleted social media post that referenced physical violence against Inaba.
The controversy began after the judge criticized Chmerkovskiy’s wife, Jenna Johnson, for including an illegal lift in her Super Bowl Night samba with actor Harry Shum Jr. during the Oct. 13 episode.
Johnson, a two-time Mirrorball Trophy winner, and Inaba later discussed the criticism and cleared the air.
Chmerkovskiy Has Shared a Heartfelt Apology
Chmerkovskiy, however, took to social media to defend his wife and her dancing, referencing the 2022 Academy Awards incident in which Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock.
On Saturday, a spokesperson for BBC Studios confirmed that Chmerkovskiy would not participate in the next episode.
“The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,” the spokesperson told the Hollywood Reporter. “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 subsequently issued an apology to Inaba, acknowledging that his attempt to defend Johnson had crossed a line.
“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 wrote in a statement heartfelt statement, per Deadline.
“Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was,” he added.
With Bersten stepping in, Dewan’s Dedication Night performance will go ahead with a different professional partner. Viewers will find out how the unexpected pairing performs when the next live episode airs Tuesday, Oct. 20.
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Jenna Dewan’s New ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Partner Revealed