The recentDancing With the Stars drama, which led to professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy being given a one-week suspension over an ill-judged Instagram post, appears to be over.
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba and Chmerkovskiy were seen hugging after Tuesday night’s episode, a reconciliation that Chmerkovskiy said felt like “cathartic relief.”
The pair’s disagreement started two weeks ago, when Inaba accused Chmerkovskiy’s wife, professional dancer Jenna Johnson and her celebrity partner, Grey’s Anatomy actor Harry Shum Jr., of using an illegal dance move in a terse exchange following their Week 5 routine.
During the Oct. 13 episode of the ABC reality dance competition, dubbed Super Bowl Night, Shum and Johnson were performing a samba to “Yeah!” by Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris when some of the dance troupe members hoisted Shum into the air.
After the performance, Inaba told Shum and Johnson that their routine included a “lift,” which is not allowed in traditional samba.
When Johnson questioned the ruling, Inaba proceeded to read her the definition.
“‘A lift is any movement during which one of the dancers has both feet off the floor at the same time with the assistance or support of their partner,'” Inaba said before adding: “Yeah, a lift.”
Inaba still gave the pair an 8 out of 10, leading fans to question the point of the judge’s rather terse commentary.
Johnson later explained that she thought the lift rule applied only to the principal performers, not backup dancers.
“You know what, it’s hard, because usually when someone’s called out for a lift, it’s when your partner lifts you,” Johnson told Extra after the episode. “But I absolutely hear Carrie Ann. She’s a judge for a reason. She’s gonna do her job, I’m gonna do mine. I’m gonna take the feedback.”
The Instagram post
The following day, Chmerkovskiy — Johnson’s husband and a professional dancer paired with Jenna Dewan — took to Instagram to express his displeasure with Inaba by referencing what Will Smith told Chris Rock before his infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars.
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” Chmerkovskiy wrote, a nod to the sitcom character that propelled Smith’s career.
The suspension
On the Saturday, BBC Studios, which produces Dancing With the Stars, announced it was suspending Chmerkovskiy for a week, saying in a statement that the “well-being of everyone who works on” the show “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 said. “As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Alan Bersten — who was eliminated earlier this season after competing with Giada De Laurentiis — will replace Chmerkovskiy as Dewan’s professional dance partner on the next episode, which airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
The apology
Chmerkovskiy subsequently apologized for the post that triggered his suspension — the first in Dancing With the Stars history.
“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, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention,” he said in a statement posted to Instagram. “Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.”
He added: “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. Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!”
The response
Inaba subsequently addressed the controversy in the comments section on an Instagram post, clarifying that she and Johnson had “hugged it out” afterward and there was no problem between the pair.
“Jenna was an absolute professional about it, and two women worked through the moment,” she wrote. “It came to my attention later that Jenna was deeply hurt. So I also offered to speak with her at anytime. I have also offered to discuss the lift rule and how I enforce it.
“In the future, if anything I say or do in my role as a judge to speak what I see and feel about your performance on this show hurts you in any way, I am always open and available to listen, discuss and find a peaceful understanding.”
Inaba added that she felt a new lift rule should be created for next season and that the dancers and judges should “get in a room together” to create a better understanding between them.
The reconciliation
Chmerkovskiy returned to the ballroom for Week 7. After the episode, on Oct. 27, the pro dancer was seen talking to Inaba while holding her hands. In a video obtained by People, the pair appeared to be clearing the air, with Chmerkovskiy speaking and Inaba nodding, before she smiled and they hugged.
Realizing they were being watched, Inaba then turned to the audience and appeared to say, “So everyone’s staring. We are coworkers, and we are completely cordial. We are good, OK?”
Chmerkovskiy told People that the reconciliation felt like “cathartic relief,” saying, “I think it was just really important for me to make sure that she feels safe and knows that, firsthand from me, I want nothing but love for her.”
He added, “I want nothing but joy for her and as much as the world might say otherwise, I want her to know how I feel, not how others want me to feel, but how I genuinely feel.”
