Carrie Ann Inaba is speaking out about the recent drama surrounding “Dancing With the Stars,” including her controversial elevator comments.
“I haven’t spoken about what happened out of professional courtesy to those who are still competing, and we actually have standards and practices that separate us,” Inaba began in a comment on her recent Instagram carousel.
In one photo, she hugs Jenna Johnson during the Oct. 20 show, an episode in which Johnson’s husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, was benched after making an inappropriate comment toward Inaba. During this episode, Inaba called Johnson’s elevators and when she pushed back, the judge read her the definition.
“But I think part of that ‘title’ left out some important parts of what happened,” Inaba continued. “I think it’s important for everyone to know that Jenna and I hugged each other after the Super Bowl show. Jenna was an absolute professional about it, and two women worked during that moment. I later learned that Jenna was deeply injured, so I also offered to talk to her at any time. I also offered to discuss the lift rule and how I apply it. @sharnaburgess made a great video explaining lifts, assists and what dances allow them and don’t allow them.
The judge has always criticized dancers who do lifts, but has faced criticism in recent seasons from those who feel she picks and chooses which moves she emphasizes and which ones she lets slide.
She continued her comments, sharing that she hopes a change will be made in the future.
“I think in the future a new lifting rule should be created for next season. I am thinking of a session with all the dancers and judges in a room together to discuss the history of how and why Len Goodman, our original producers and I came up with the lifting rule and what its purpose is, namely safety and fairness,” Inaba wrote. “The show has evolved tremendously, the way the show is presented has also changed, as has our audience and the way they consume the show. So working together to create a better understanding between the dancers, judges and our audience is important to me as we move forward and it’s something I’ve asked for.”
The ballroom has been tense since Inaba’s elevator comment on October 20. After the episode, Chmerkovskiy posted on TikTok, “You almost saw Fresh Prince walk into the ballroom last night,” which most believe was a reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022, after he said, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.” Chmerkovskiy quickly deleted the status, but not before many fans saw it.
Before last week’s Dedication Night, BBC Studios announced he would not be taking part in the competition that week.
“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 released on Saturday. “As a result, he will not be appearing on next week’s show.”
The professional dancer shared his apology on Instagram and said he had also personally reached out to Inaba. “
“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,” he wrote Saturday. “Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.”
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