Maksim Chmerkovskiy says he’s ready for that big family feeling. The veteran “Dancing With the Stars” pro dancer and his wife Peta Murgatroyd are expecting their third child in July 2024.
Speaking with People magazine in April 2024, Chmerkovskiy said he’s already starting to feel the effects of having a large brood. “I already feel like when you walk around and you feel like you’re part of the small club,” he told the magazine. “Now I understand what most of Utah feels like with a lot of kids in their families. I didn’t before. Now I get it.”
The mirrorball trophy winner added that he will have to learn how to “do it right” with three kids after being a father of one for six years.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Peta Murgatroyd Will Have 3 Sons
Maks and Peta have a 7-year-old son, Shai Aleksandr. They had a long span as parents of just one child until Baby No. 2 arrived in 2023. Their second son, Rio, will turn one in June 2024, just one month before the due date of his next sibling. In March, the DWTS couple posted a gender reveal to announce that their third baby is also a boy.
After firing off colored poppers that displayed blue smoke, they captioned a video clip with, “It’s a BOY!” “I’ve been quietly preparing myself to be a real-life wolf pack Mumma with our THIRD baby boy on the way ???? I CANNOT BELIEVE WE WILL HAVE 3 BOYS!! ??????.,” Murgatroyd wrote.
The soon-to-be mom of three added that she wants her kids to be “the best of friends.”
In a February 2024 interview with People, Chmerkovskiy credited his wife with keeping the household running smoothly with their expanding brood. “It’s easy to be a father of three with a spouse such as Peta,” he said. “I must admit that my job is much simpler than hers.”
Maksim Chmerkovskiy Wants His Sons to Grow Up the Way Him & His Brother Val Did
Getty GettyMaks and Val Chmerkovskiy
Chmerkovskiy grew up with one brother, fellow “Dancing With the Stars” pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy. The DWTS brothers have a six-year age gap just like Maksim’s first two sons do.
In April, Maks Chmerkovskiy told People that he never fought with his younger brother when they were growing up because their mom drilled into their heads that they would only have each other someday. “We grew up, we never fought. We never actually — two brothers, two men, two boys — never wrestled, never nothing. There was nothing but love,” Maks said. “So we’re doing the same thing,” he added of his own sons. “[Shai’s] hugging [Rio], he’s kissing him. He can’t wait for the other one. He rubs Mommy’s belly. They’ll be tight, as tight as we are.”
Even before he had kids, Chmerkovskiy told OK Magazine that family was “everything” to him. He also talked about his close relationship with his parents, Aleksandr and Larisa.
“Family means everything to my brother Val and I,” he said. “We’re taking the whole mama’s boy and papa’s boy to a whole new level, but I think it really is important.”
“I spent my entire childhood with my father,” he says. “If you ask my brother, he’s everything to us. He’s the most amazing dad that one can have, and we’re incredibly grateful for everything that he and mom did for us.”
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