‘Dancing With The Stars’ Makes History With Its First-Ever Pro Dancer Suspension
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Dancing With The Stars veteran dancer Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from the upcoming episode, marking the first time the show has ever done so in its 35-season history.
Chmerkovskiy’s suspension comes just days after he made an “inappropriate” comment toward DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
Val Chmerkovskiy Suspension
During the October 13th episode of Dancing With The Stars, Inaba criticized professional dancer Jenna Johnson’s performance with Harry Shum Jr. Inaba claimed that the pair’s routine contained a lift that it shouldn’t have.
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Chmerkovskiy, who is married to Johnson, came to his wife’s defense in a social media post that read, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” an apparent reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
The post was quickly removed, but not before Inaba and others saw it.
Val followed up the post with another in which he offered an apology to Carrie Ann and anyone who may have been offended by his statement.
“I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post. I have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally, and I also want to apologize publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside of our internal DWTS family,” Val wrote.
He added that he will “do better moving forward” and acknowledged the need to ” think before I post.”
Following Val’s posts, DWTS responded with a statement of their own detailing their disciplinary actions against the dancer.
“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,” a statement released by BBC Studios said.
The statement concluded by adding that Chmerkovskiy will not compete on the October 20 episode.
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Val addressed the news in an Instagram story where he apologized for his “poor decision” and stated that he didn’t want to be a distraction from the work his dance partner, Jenna Dewan, is putting in.
Who will replace Val Chmerkovskiy?
Dancing With the Stars has replaced Val for the upcoming Dedication Night performance.
Jenna Dewan will be paired with Alan Bernsten for a Viennese Waltz to the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody.” The routine will be dedicated to Dewan’s mother, Nancy.
Val Chmerkovskiy has been a member of the Dancing With The Stars cast since Season 2 and has long been a fan favorite. He is a three-time winner of the coveted Mirrorball, winning Season 20 with Rumer Willis, Season 23 with Laurie Hernandez, and Season 32 with Xochitl Gomez.
