Pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy suspended from "Dancing With The Stars" after controversial TikTok post
BBC Studios announced that Val Chmerkovskiy will miss next week's episode of "Dancing With The Stars" following a TikTok post deemed inappropriate, after the dancer referenced a meme while defending his wife.
"Dancing With The Stars" will bench professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy for the upcoming episode after the production company, BBC Studios, said his recent TikTok post violated the show’s standards. The statement said, "The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable. 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."
The post, which has since been deleted, appeared to allude to the 2022 Oscars incident where Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, and was made in response to judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s critique of pro dancer Jenna Johnson’s lift during Tuesday’s Super Bowl Night. Johnson is married to Chmerkovskiy.
Chmerkovskiy later posted an apology, stating, "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. Carrie Ann certainly didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was."
Chmerkovskiy had been partnered with Jenna Dewan, earning perfect scores during Week 5. For the next episode, Dewan will be paired with Alan Bersten, who was eliminated in Week 3. BBC Studios said Dewan has been informed of the change and remains professional.
"Dancing with the Stars" airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams on Disney+ and Hulu the following day.