Val Chmerkovskiy suspended from Dancing with the Stars, Alan Bersten steps in
Professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended from the upcoming episode of Dancing with the Stars after a meme-related comment about Carrie Ann Inaba, and fellow pro Alan Bersten will partner Jenna Dewan for the show.
Val Chmerkovskiy, a professional dancer on Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars, will miss the Oct. 20 episode after the show's production company, BBC Studios, confirmed his suspension. The decision follows a social-media post in which Chmerkovskiy referenced a meme about the 2022 Oscars incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock, directed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
"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 on Instagram Stories.
He added that Inaba "didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment" and expressed regret for becoming a distraction from his dance partner Jenna Dewan's performance.
BBC Studios 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."
Alan Bersten, a former contestant and current professional on the series, will replace Chmerkovskiy as Dewan's partner for the Dedication Night episode on Oct. 20.