Val Chmerkovskiy out of next 'Dancing with the Stars' show over post
Val Chmerkovskiy will miss next week's "Dancing with the Stars" over a social media post about judge Carrie Ann Inaba, NBC News and Variety reported. The deleted TikTok post appeared to reference Will Smith's 2022 Oscars clash with Chris Rock. Chmerkovskiy apologized and said Inaba did not deserve to get caught up in his bad judgment.
Val Chmerkovskiy will not take part in next week's episode of "Dancing with the Stars," NBC News and Variety reported, citing a statement from BBC Studios, which produces the show. The statement said the "well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable," according to NBC News and Variety. "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. "As a result, he will not participate in next week's show."
The post followed the show's Oct. 13 episode, Variety reported. Inaba critiqued pro Jenna Johnson, Chmerkovskiy's wife, for using a lift in her samba with actor Harry Shum Jr., NBC News reported. Inaba then read out the definition of a lift, NBC News and Variety reported.
Chmerkovskiy then posted on TikTok, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night," NBC News and Variety reported. The post appeared to reference Will Smith's 2022 Oscars altercation with Chris Rock and was later deleted, NBC News and Variety reported.
After the suspension, Chmerkovskiy apologized on Instagram. "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," he wrote, according to NBC News and Variety. "Carrie Ann certainly didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was," he wrote. He had said Thursday that he reached out to Inaba to apologize directly, NBC News and Variety reported.
Inaba had not responded publicly to the apology or the suspension, NBC News reported. Variety reported that Inaba had earlier commented on her own Instagram, thanking the media for alerting her to the post.
His partner, actor Jenna Dewan, will dance with pro Alan Bersten in a routine dedicated to her mother, NBC News and Variety reported. "Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night," Chmerkovskiy wrote. "I'll be watching and cheering everyone on!!"
What we know: BBC Studios pulled Chmerkovskiy from next week's show over his deleted post, and he has apologized to Inaba.
What we don't: Whether he will return after next week or face further action.
Where outlets agree NBC News and Variety both report that BBC Studios called Chmerkovskiy's post inappropriate and that he will miss next week's show.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.