Val Chmerkovskiy is sitting out a week of “Dancing With the Stars,” but the professional dancer reportedly expects to return to the ballroom soon.
The longtime ABC competition star will watch the upcoming episode from home after being suspended over a controversial social media post involving judge Carrie Ann Inaba, a source close to production told Page Six.
A Source Dishes on How Val Is Handling It
“Val will be watching the show tomorrow night at home,” the source said. “The suspension took Val by surprise, but he took it gracefully and he understood. He fully expects to be back next week for the live show.”
Chmerkovskiy, who has danced on the show for 15 years, drew criticism after publicly reacting to Inaba’s comments about his wife, fellow professional dancer Jenna Johnson. Inaba had offered Johnson tough criticism during the live competition, prompting Chmerkovskiy to post a message that referenced the infamous 2022 Oscars incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock.
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” Chmerkovskiy wrote on social media.
The post alluded to Smith slapping Rock onstage at the Academy Awards after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Chmerkovskiy later deleted the message, but the controversy continued.
A second production source told the outlet that Chmerkovskiy remains well-liked within the “Dancing With the Stars” family despite the incident.
“He’s always been the golden child of that show and franchise,” the source said. “The show felt like they had to do this.”
Chmerkovskiy subsequently apologized to Inaba on social media, acknowledging that his reaction had been inappropriate. However, the apology did not prevent producers from announcing that he would miss the next episode.
“The well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is non-negotiable,” a statement from producers at BBC Productions read. “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.”
With Chmerkovskiy absent, professional dancer Alan Bersten will take over as Jenna Dewan’s partner for the upcoming performance. Chmerkovskiy has reportedly been supportive of the temporary pairing as Dewan prepares to continue competing.
“Val has sent lots of support to Jenna [Dewan] amid everything that’s going on and he knows that she and Alan are going to crush it this week,” the first source told Page Six. “He’s grateful to Alan for stepping in.”
Val Apologized for the Comments
Chmerkovskiy also addressed the situation in another statement the day after the suspension was announced. He expressed regret that Inaba had been drawn into the controversy and emphasized that he did not want his actions to overshadow Dewan’s work on the show.
“Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was,” he wrote. “The last thing I want is to become a distraction from an important week or from the incredible work my dance partner Jenna Dewan is putting in.”
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Inside How Val Chmerkovskiy Is Handling His ‘DWTS’ Suspension