LOS ANGELES — Val Chmerkovskiy says he will be “watching and cheering everyone on” when Dancing With the Stars Season 35 returns Tuesday for Dedication Night, because the show has taken him out of the episode. His partner, Jenna Dewan, will take the floor with someone else.
The show announced Saturday, in a statement from BBC Studios, its production company, that Chmerkovskiy will sit out after a TikTok story that appeared to reference Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars altercation with Chris Rock. “Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show,” the statement said, adding that “he will not participate in next week’s show.” NBC News described the penalty as a one-week suspension.
The post was a reaction to judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s critique of Chmerkovskiy’s wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, on Super Bowl Night. After Johnson and her celebrity partner, Harry Shum Jr., danced a samba to Usher’s “Yeah!,” Inaba told them there was a lift and read the show’s definition aloud: any movement in which a dancer has “both feet off the floor at the same time with the assistance or support of their partner.” The Latin style traditionally prohibits it.
The sidelining lands on one of the show’s strongest pairings. Dewan and Chmerkovskiy had just earned all nines from the judges, ABC News reported, and The Hollywood Reporter said they have consistently scored well, rising to the top of the leaderboard on Super Bowl Night.
The TikTok story read “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” according to NBC News, which saw the since-deleted post. Inaba answered on Instagram on Thursday with “So this is what we are doing now?” over a screenshot of a post featuring his comment, the Reporter said. Chmerkovskiy apologized on his Instagram Story the same day, writing that he had “reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally.” After the suspension was announced, he wrote that he had made “a poor decision to reference a meme” and that Inaba “didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment.”
Dewan, one of the Season 35 cast members, will instead dance with Alan Bersten, who was eliminated earlier in the season, in a number dedicated to her mother. BBC Studios said she is aware of the changes and has continued to be professional and respectful of the process. The episode airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams on Disney+.
As of NBC News’ report Saturday evening, Inaba had not responded publicly to the apology or the suspension.
