Val Chmerkovskiy suspended for one week from Dancing With The Stars

Val Chmerkovskiy, a professional dancer on "Dancing With The Stars" partnered with actress Jenna Dewan, will sit out the upcoming episode following a one-week suspension announced on Oct. 17. The decision follows a TikTok post by the dancer that alluded to Will Smith’s confrontation with Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, which NBC News described as a reference to the incident.

BBC Studios, the production company behind the show, said the "well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable" and described the social-media post as "inappropriate" and not reflective of the show’s values. As a result, Chmerkovskiy will not appear in next week’s broadcast.

"Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show," the statement read.

Chmerkovskiy posted an apology on his Instagram story, saying he intended to defend his wife, fellow professional Jenna Johnson, but "made a poor decision to reference a meme" without considering its implications. He also expressed regret that judge Carrie Ann Inaba was drawn into the controversy and sent well-wishes to the show's cast.

"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," he wrote.

With Chmerkovskiy unavailable, Dewan will perform with professional dancer Alan Bersten in a routine dedicated to her mother. The suspension follows a heated exchange on the Oct. 13 episode in which Inaba criticized Johnson for using a lift in a samba routine, a move traditionally prohibited in that dance style.

Inaba has not publicly responded to the suspension or Chmerkovskiy’s apology.