DWTS Suspends Val Chmerkovskiy, 40, After Will Smith Slap Reference

Q: How did a simple critique of a dance lift provoke Val Chmerkovskiy into making a violent threat that triggered his sudden suspension?

It escalated because Val Chmerkovskiy took Carrie Ann Inaba’s on-air critique of Jenna Johnson’s choreography as a personal slight against his wife, then responded publicly in a way widely read as invoking violence. The trigger was Inaba’s criticism after Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.’s samba on “Super Bowl Night.” Inaba said the routine needed more content and called out what she said was an illegal lift, even reading the formal definition of a lift on air after Johnson questioned it. Chmerkovskiy, who was visible in the skybox reacting negatively to the scores, then defended Johnson online, writing in one comment that Inaba was “trippin talking to her like that.” The bigger problem came with his deleted TikTok story: “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.” Fans, media outlets and the show interpreted that as a reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars after a joke about Smith’s wife. In that context, Chmerkovskiy’s post was seen as suggesting he nearly physically confronted Inaba over her comments. Chmerkovskiy later said he had been trying to defend his wife and claimed he meant it as a meme about “keep my wife’s name” rather than a threat. He apologized publicly and said he had also apologized to Inaba privately. But BBC Studios said the post was inappropriate and inconsistent with the show’s standards, and suspended him for one week, citing the well-being of everyone on the production as “non-negotiable.”

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Singapore News · Oct 21

Val Chmerkovskiy was absent from the Oct. 20 "Dancing with the Stars" episode after the show suspended him over a social media post aimed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
The since-deleted post referenced Will Smith's 2022 Oscars slap after Inaba criticized wife Jenna Johnson's performance, prompting producer BBC Studios to call it "inappropriate."
Alan Bersten stepped in to dance with Jenna Dewan on Dedication Night, performing a Viennese waltz to "Unchained Melody" while Inaba remained on the judging panel.
Chmerkovskiy, 40, confirmed the suspension on Oct. 17 and apologized publicly and directly to Inaba, saying he had made a poor decision while trying to defend his wife.
The suspension is described as a first for the series, underscoring the show's stance that workplace well-being is "non-negotiable."