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 it appeared to reference a recent celebrity incident.
"Dancing with the Stars" producer BBC Studios said the show will not feature professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy in the upcoming episode, citing an "inappropriate" social-media post. The statement added that the well-being of everyone involved in the series is non-negotiable and that the post did not align with the program's values or standards.
Chmerkovskiy had posted on TikTok after judge Carrie Ann Inaba's critique of a lift performed by his wife, pro dancer Jenna Johnson, during the Super Bowl Night episode. The deleted post was reported to allude to the 2022 Oscars incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock.
"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," Chmerkovskiy wrote in a follow-up message.
"Carrie Ann certainly didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was."
As a result, Chmerkovskiy will sit out the Tuesday Dedication Night episode. His celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan, will be paired with professional dancer Alan Bersten, who was eliminated earlier in the competition. BBC Studios said Dewan has been informed of the change and remains professional.
"Dancing with the Stars" airs on ABC Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and streams on Disney+ and Hulu the following day.