Dancing with the Stars professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy has been handed a historic one-week suspension from the hit ABC series following widespread backlash over a now-deleted social media post. The disciplinary action stems from an online video in which Chmerkovskiy was accused of threatening to slap judge Carrie Ann Inaba after she awarded a low score to his wife and fellow pro, Jenna Johnson.
The controversy erupted following Tuesday night’s live episode of the competition series. During the broadcast, Johnson and her celebrity partner, actor Harry Shum Jr., performed a samba routine that drew mixed reviews from the judging panel. While the performance energetic and well-received by the studio audience, judge Carrie Ann Inaba quickly pointed out a critical rule violation during the critique. Inaba noted that the routine featured a banned element—specifically, a lift—which is strictly prohibited during traditional samba performances in the competition.
Inaba read aloud from the official rulebook, defining a lift as any movement during which one of the dancers has both feet off the floor simultaneously with the assistance or support of their partner. Despite Johnson’s visible confusion and attempt to push back against the critique, Inaba ultimately awarded the pair a score of eight. Cameras caught Chmerkovskiy visibly fuming in the background, looking outraged on camera as his wife received the critique and score.
The tension spilled over onto social media shortly after the episode concluded. Chmerkovskiy took to his TikTok Story to share a post that immediately drew alarm and condemnation from fans and viewers alike. Over a black screen or placeholder text, the 40-year-old dancer joked, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night."
Although Chmerkovskiy did not explicitly detail what he meant by the comment, fans and social media users immediately connected the remark to one of the most infamous moments in television history: the 2023 Academy Awards, where actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. During that televised incident, Smith famously screamed at the comedian to "keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!"
Chmerkovskiy’s post was widely interpreted as an allusion to physical violence directed at Inaba for her critique of Johnson. In addition to the TikTok Story, Chmerkovskiy reportedly left a comment under a video clip of the judging moment, writing, "Put some respect on [my wife’s] name," and adding that Inaba was "trippin’ talking to her like that."
The reaction was swift and fierce. Within hours, the TikTok post was flooded with severe criticism, and screenshots quickly circulated across platforms like X, formerly known as Twitter. Hundreds of users expressed outrage, arguing that even if the post was intended as a joke, it crossed a line by alluding to physical violence against a female judge over a dance score. Viewers labeled the comment threatening, gross, and completely unacceptable within a professional television environment.
Facing a mounting wave of public backlash, Chmerkovskiy deleted the original TikTok Story and took to his Instagram Stories on Thursday to issue a formal apology. He acknowledged that his judgment had failed him completely and stated that he had reached out to Inaba directly and personally to express his remorse.
"I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post," Chmerkovskiy wrote in his statement. "I have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally and I also want to apologize publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside our internal DWTS family. I should never have made the reference that I did and I deeply regret it."
He continued, recognizing his status as a public figure and role model. "I recognize that I am in a fortunate position to have a platform and to be a role model to some, and I need to treat that with more care by actively pausing to think before I post to ensure what I am sharing aligns with who I am, and who I want to be for you all. I am truly sorry to Carrie Ann, and everyone I hurt with my careless post. I will do better moving forward."
Despite the public apology, the fallout behind the scenes was intense. On Saturday, BBC Studios officially confirmed that Chmerkovskiy would be suspended from the show for one week, marking a historic first for the long-running competition series. Never before in the history of Dancing with the Stars has a professional dancer been suspended over conduct related to social media or interactions with the judging panel.
"The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable," BBC Studios said in a statement to Deadline. "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."
Following the network’s announcement, Chmerkovskiy released an additional statement to the Daily Mail through his representative, admitting that his actions stemmed from poor judgment while trying to defend his wife.
"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," Chmerkovskiy explained. He reiterated that Inaba did not deserve to be caught in the middle of his mistake. "Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was. 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."
He concluded his statement by encouraging fans to support the cast during the upcoming Dedication Night. "Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!"
Insiders close to the production revealed that the situation escalated rapidly behind the scenes. According to sources, Inaba was immediately made aware of the circulating TikTok post and was furious upon reading it, viewing the remark not as harmless trash talk, but as a direct threat that demanded real consequences. While Chmerkovskiy did apologize to her personally, insiders reported that the apology alone was not enough to satisfy the judge, prompting producers to step in and enforce the suspension to maintain order and safety standards within the production.
Meanwhile, individuals close to Chmerkovskiy defended the dancer, insisting that the comment was entirely misinterpreted and blown out of proportion. One source close to the pro told the Daily Mail that Chmerkovskiy is a "lover, not a fighter" and would never resort to physical violence. The source likened the remark to standard sports trash talk, comparing it to a coach complaining about a bad referee call, and claimed that Inaba chose to interpret it as something far more severe than intended.
The backstage atmosphere following the disciplinary action has reportedly left the cast and crew divided. Some production insiders supported Inaba, believing that a one-week suspension was appropriate or even lenient given the nature of the implication, while others felt that a simple reprimand would have sufficed for a comment they viewed as an ill-advised joke.
Additional sources indicated that Jenna Johnson was deeply unhappy and stressed about how the controversy might impact her standing in the competition. Friends of the dancer expressed concern that the backlash directed at her husband could alienate voters and derail her chances of advancing or winning the mirrorball trophy this season.
Inaba herself reacted to the unfolding scandal by posting a screenshot of a news article covering Chmerkovskiy’s controversial remark to her Instagram account, accompanied by the pointed caption: "So this is what we are doing now?"
As Dancing with the Stars prepares for its upcoming Dedication Night, production is moving forward without Chmerkovskiy for the week, while fans and cast members continue to debate the boundaries of acceptable behavior for professionals on and off the ballroom floor.
