Jenna Dewan to dance with Alan Bersten on DWTS after Val Chmerkovskiy's suspension

Jenna Dewan is set to appear on "Dancing With the Stars" on Oct. 20 partnered with professional dancer Alan Bersten after her regular partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, was suspended for the upcoming "Dedication Night" episode. The pair will present a Viennese waltz set to "Unchained Melody," dedicated to Dewan’s mother, Nancy.

Chmerkovskiy’s suspension follows a social-media comment that referenced the 2022 Oscars incident involving Will Smith and was perceived as targeting judge Carrie Ann Inaba. BBC Studios, the show’s producer, issued a statement saying the dancer’s post was inappropriate and did not reflect the program’s values, leading to his removal from next week’s broadcast.

"The well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is non-negotiable," the statement read.

Chmerkovskiy apologized in a personal statement, acknowledging that his post was a poor decision made in an attempt to defend his wife, fellow DWTS professional Jenna Johnson, and that he had not considered how the reference could be interpreted.

"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.

He added that he regretted involving Inaba in the dispute and expressed support for the show’s participants during Dedication Night.

The controversy began after Inaba criticized Johnson’s lift during a samba routine, prompting a tense on-stage exchange. Chmerkovskiy later posted on TikTok and Instagram, apologizing to Inaba and the broader DWTS community, and pledged to be more cautious with future posts.

Alan Bersten, who was eliminated earlier in the season alongside Giada de Laurentiis, will step in for the performance, allowing Dewan to continue competing despite her partner’s temporary removal.