How DWTS ' Val Chmerkovskiy Feels About Alan Bersten Replacing Him

Originally appeared on <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1437266/dwts-val-chmerkovskiy-trusts-alan-bersten-jenna-dewan-amid-suspension” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>E! Online

Val Chmerkovskiy has no problem with Alan Bersten taking the lead amid his suspension from Dancing With the Stars.

fully trusts Alan to manage this week and is grateful that he’s stepped in” to dance with celebrity partner Jenna Dewan after Chmerkovskiy was barred from participating in the upcoming Oct. 20 episode of the ABC series

Chmerkovskiy is expected to be back in the ballroom for Oct. 27’s Horror Movie Night episode. Indeed,tions with the network, he fully plans to return to the show next week with his wonderful dance partner Jenna Dewan.”

Chmerkovskiy is currently serving a one-week suspension from BBC Studios—the production company behind DWTS—over a recent social media comment he made toward judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who called out the dancer’s wife and fellow pro Jenna Johnson for what she considered was an illegal lift during a samba routine on the Oct. 13 episode.

Chmerkovskiy wrote on TikTok following Inaba’s critique that viewers “almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom,” leading many to believe he was referencing Will Smith‘s infamous Oscars 2022 slap.

Model Sahara Ray Dead at 34, Less Than a Year After Welcoming Baby Girl
Hunter Schafer Shares Why She Decided to Undergo Gender-Affirming Bottom Surgery
Conjoined Twin Influencers José Luis, José Armando Cevallos Dead at 27 After One Has Heart Attack

Though Chmerkovskiy later publicly and privately apologized to Inaba, BBC Studios issued a suspension against the dancer, telling E! in an Oct. 17 statement that 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,” the statement continued. “As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”

Dancing with the Stars, Jenna Dewan, Val Chmerkovskiy — Disney/Andrew Eccles

Since then, Chmerkovskiy has further explained his perspective, saying that he “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.”

“Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories Oct. 17. “The last thing I want is to become a distraction from an important week or from the incredible work my dance partner Jenna Dewan is putting in.”

Bersten was recently named as Chmerkovskiy’s temporary replacement amid his suspension. The 32-year-old was previously eliminated from the season 35 competition alongside Giada De Laurentiison DWTS‘ Sept. 22 episode.

Alan Bersten, Dancing With the Stars — Disney/Andrew Eccles

Now Bersten is getting into the swing of things with Dewan, 45, as the pair shared an update on their routine Oct. 19.

“We are dancing a Viennese Waltz to ‘Unchained Melody’ by The Righteous Brothers,” the Step Upactress said in a video posted on DWTS‘ social media pages. “So excited.”

For a complete guide on this season’s DWTS cast, read on.