“Dancing With the Stars” benches Val Chmerkovskiy after his recent joke about judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
“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 to the series,” BBC Studios said in a statement on Saturday. “As a result, he will not be appearing on next week’s show.”
Chmerkovskiy shared his own statement following the announcement of his absence from the ballroom, writing on Instagram: “At a time when my instinct was to defend my wife, I made the poor decision to reference a meme to ‘keep my wife’s name’ out of the conversation, without thinking about what else that reference might imply, which was truly never my intention. Carrie Ann certainly did not deserve to be caught in the middle of my poor judgment, and I hate that she was.”
He continued, “The last thing I want is to become a distraction from an important week or the incredible work my dance partner Jenna Dewan is doing. Please send lots of love to Carrie Ann, Jenna and the entire DWTS family during the signing party. I will be watching and cheering everyone on!!”
Disney
For context, on the Oct. 13 episode of “Dancing With the Stars,” judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized Jenna Johnson (who is married to Chmerkovskiy) for doing a lift in her routine and read her the definition of said lift. Afterward, Chmerkovskiy posted on his TikTok Story, “You almost saw Fresh Prince walk into the ballroom last night,” apparently referring to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, after he said, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.” »
The post was quickly deleted, but Inaba saw it and commented on her own Instagram, thanking the media for alerting her to her remark.
Chmerkovskiy, who has appeared on “Dancing With the Stars” since the second season, later apologized to Inaba and the viewers he upset, posting the following message on his Instagram Story on Thursday: “I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent message. I reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally, and I also want to apologize publicly because I understand that my words affect so many people outside of our internal family DWTS I recognize that I am in a fortunate position to have a platform and be able to be a role model to some, and I need to treat this more carefully by actively stopping to think before I post to make sure that what I share is true to who I am and who I want to be for all of you. I’m so sorry to Carrie Ann and everyone I’ve hurt with my reckless post, I better move on.
Jenna Dewan, Chermkovskiy’s partner, will still be dancing during book signing week, Variety confirms, and will be paired with Alan Bersten, who was eliminated in week three. Dewan will dance a Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody,” dedicated to his mother.
“Jenna Dewan is aware and has continued to be a true professional and respectful of the process,” the source said. Variety. “Jenna is a beloved member of the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ family, and we are grateful for the joy and positivity she brings to the show.”
During season 34, Inaba opened up to Variety about the constant criticism and boos she receives in the ballroom — something the male judges, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, do not.
“It really affected me. I’ve been the target of this kind of negativity since the show started, back when we had chat rooms. I remember seeing horrible words written about me and I was shocked,” she shared. “Sometimes the things they say are cruel, and it affected me. It scared me. It’s not so much that I’m hurt as I’m scared, because I feel like they’re attacking me verbally, so I back off a little bit during the season, especially after the fifth or sixth week.”
Gn entert
