Jenna Johnson looks to be staying strong and focused after experiencing a double loss in her family while performing on the grueling “Dancing With the Stars” 2026 tour, which kicked off in January.
On Friday, May 8, the 32-year-old cheerfully danced in a backstage clip for her Instagram Stories, but a few hours later, she shared the sad news that her grandmother died on Friday night, just 3 days after the death of her grandfather.
The tour has been full of ups and downs for Jenna, with the sad news coming just 3 weeks after she was showered with love by fans and friends for her birthday.
Jenna Johnson Fondly Remembers Her Grandparents While Val Keeps In Good Spirits
Late Friday night, Jenna shared a photo to her Instagram Stories clutching her grandmother’s hand over a fuzzy blue blanket and wrote, “My sweet grandma made her to way to heaven tonight.” The mom of one showed her feelings by adding a heartbreak emoji.
Her next update was a photo of herself and her husband, fellow “DWTS” pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy, sitting with Jenna’s grandparents in a cherished happy moment that appears to have taken place a few days before their deaths. She reminisced, “The greatest love story ever told! Married 73 years. Died 3 days apart.”
The brunette beauty inserted a couple of tear-faced emojis before continuing her message to her late grandparents, “I’m still in disbelief that I got to see both of you this week. I love you with my whole heart.” Jenna then revealed she plans to call on the pair for strength as she continues to perform, saying, “I’ll for you on stage because I know that’s your favorite thing to watch me do. Love you forever.” She used an infinity emoji and two doves towards the end of her note, and finished it by calling her grandparents “my guardian angels.”
Val is reacting by also staying in a cheerful mood. The same night Jenna announced the heavy news, the 40-year-old took to his TikTok to share a playful dance video to the song “Not Tonight” by Lil Kim. “Val please, I’m at a family dinner,” joked one fan in the comment section of the video, in which Val suggestively rolls his hips to the song. “Tell fam I said what up,” Val shot back. Another fan laughed that Val’s entertaining video are “the only reason I pay my phone bill.”
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Tour Was Previously Extended’ Due to High Demand
Jenna, Val, and the rest of the cast will have to grind on through a few more shows before finally getting a chance to rest and relax after the popular tour.
Originally set to wrap up on May 2, ABC announced back in November that extra dates had been added, meaning the tour would be extended by almost two extra weeks.
“Dancing With the Stars” most recent season, which wrapped up a few weeks before the tour began, was a ratings success, marking a major resurgence in viewership for the long running reality competition. According to the Nielsen ratings, the finale drew 9.2 millions viewers, which was almost 3 million more than the previous year.
