Jenna Dewan’s Fiancé Speaks Out After Val Chmerkovskiy's Suspension

Originally appeared on <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1437207/jenna-dewans-fiance-sends-support-amid-val-chmerkovskiys-dwts-suspension” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>E! Online

Jenna Dewan‘s fiancé is stepping in to show his support.

As the Rookie actress prepares to perform on the Oct. 20 episode of Dancing With the Stars without her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy following his suspension from the show, her fiancé Steve Kazee shared a sweet message for Dewan.

“Everytime I think I can’t love you more, your grace, your class, and your heart prove me wrong,” the Tony winner wrote on his Instagram Stories Oct. 18 over a photo of Dewan in her red and black DWTS costume from last week’s paso doble performance. “You got this baby! We got you.”

Due toChmerkovskiy’s one-week suspension from the ABC show, Dewan will dance with pro Alan Berstenfor the upcoming Dedication Night episode, in which she’ll honor her mother, E! News has learned.

For the special performance, the Step Up actress—who shares son Callum, 6, and daughter Rhiannon, 2, with Kazee—will perform a Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers

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On Oct. 17, BBC Studios—the production company behind Dancing With the Stars—announced Chmerkovskiy was suspended for one episode after he appeared to reference Will Smith‘s 2022 Oscars slap in response to judge Carrie Ann Inaba‘s critique of his wifeJenna Johnson‘s samba routine.

“The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,” BBC Studios shared in a statement obtained by E! News Oct. 17. “Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show. As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”

The professional dancer’s controversial remarks in question came after Inaba criticized Johnson and her partner Harry Shum Jr. for featuring a “lift” in their samba performance during the Oct. 13 episode, which is not permitted in the ballroom style.

After a shocked Johnson questioned Inaba’s critique, Inaba grabbed a piece of paper from the judges’ table to read the definition of a lift.

In the wake of the tense moment, Chmerkovskiy changed his TikTok status the next day to read: “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” per screenshots shared on social media.”

The 40-year-old deleted his post and later apologized for using the reference, before he received a suspension from DWTS—the first in the show’s history.

Addressing the news, Chmerkovskiy once again expressed his regret over his comments, while also sending his support to Dewan.

“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,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories Oct. 17, “without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention.”

“Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night,” Chmerkovskiy added. “I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”

For a closer look at the pairs competing for the Mirrorball Trophy on season 35 of the dance competition series, keep reading…