{"id":932609,"date":"2026-10-18T12:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T12:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/932609\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T12:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T12:56:10","slug":"val-chmerkovskiy-suspended-from-dancing-with-the-stars-after-will-smith-oscars-joke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/932609\/","title":{"rendered":"Val Chmerkovskiy suspended from Dancing With the Stars after Will Smith Oscars joke"},"content":{"rendered":"

Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from Dancing With the Stars for one week following a controversial social media post referencing Will Smith\u2019s infamous Oscars incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wellbeing of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,\u2019\u201d read a statement from producer BBC Studios, per Deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Obsessed with celebrity news? Download our new app<\/a> and never miss a headline<\/p>\n

\u201cVal\u2019s 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\u2019s show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chmerkovskiy responded in a statement obtained by Page Six<\/a> on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you may have seen in the news, I won\u2019t be in the ballroom this week,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Chmerkovskiy continued, stating that his \u201cinstinct\u201d was to \u201cdefend\u201d wife Jenna Johnson after judge Carrie Ann Inaba\u2019s harsh critique of her performance on last week\u2019s show, reportedly leaving her to cry it out backstage.<\/p>\n

He subsequently \u201cmade a poor decision to reference a meme to \u2018keep my wife\u2019s name\u2019 out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention,\u201d Chmerkovskiy wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarrie Ann certainly didn\u2019t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I\u2019ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!\u201d<\/p>\n

During Super Bowl Night of the beloved competition show, Inaba criticised Johnson for including a lift in her samba with actor Harry Shum Jr.<\/p>\n

Inaba read from a sheet of paper that \u201ca 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\u201d, with the audience falling uncomfortably silent.<\/p>\n

Inaba also instructed Shum Jr to \u201cput more content in [his] dances\u201d.<\/p>\n

Johnson later told DWTS host Julianne Hough she could \u201ctotally hear Carrie Ann. I will take it. Sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, her husband Chmerkovskiy defended her on social media by referencing Smith\u2019s infamous 2022 Oscars incident, in which he slapped comedian Chris Rock before he instructed him to keep wife Jada Pinkett Smith\u2019s name out of his mouth.<\/p>\n

\""I<\/p>\n

\u201cYou almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,\u201d he wrote in a since-deleted TikTok status, which was subsequently criticised by fans in the comments thread.<\/p>\n

Beneath another TikTok video, Chmerkovskiy wrote, \u201cPuts some respect on her name. Shes trippin talking to her like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Inaba took to Instagram to thank Page Six for alerting her to the situation, writing atop a screenshot of the coverage, \u201cSo this is what we are doing now?\u201d<\/p>\n

The dance pro previously apologised to Inaba via social media, writing on Instagram Stories earlier this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologise directly and personally, and I also want to apologise publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside of our internal DWTS family,\u201d he wrote in part.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recognise that l am in a fortunate position to have a platform and to be a role model to some, and I need to treat that with more care by actively pausing to think before I post to ensure what I am sharing aligns with who l am, and who I want to be for you all.\u201d<\/p>\n

He concluded, \u201cI am truly sorry to Carrie Ann, and everyone who I hurt with my careless post. I will do better moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in Page Six<\/a> and was reproduced with permission<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from Dancing With the Stars for one week following a controversial social 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