Val Chmerkovskiy

Introduction

Val Chmerkovskiy, one of the most decorated professional dancers in “Dancing With the Stars” history, was suspended from the show for one week on October 17, 2026, over a since-deleted TikTok post that referenced Will Smith’s infamous 2022 Oscars slap after judge Carrie Ann Inaba delivered a harsh on-air critique of his wife, fellow pro dancer Jenna Johnson. Producer BBC Studios announced that his “social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show,” and that as a result “he will not participate in next week’s show.” Chmerkovskiy — who had already apologized publicly to Inaba — acknowledged a “poor decision” and “bad judgment,” saying the meme he referenced could imply more than he intended.

Background Information

Valentin Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy was born in Odesa, Ukraine on March 24, 1986, and immigrated to Brooklyn with his family in 1994; he is the younger brother of fellow “Dancing With the Stars” pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy. He joined the show as a professional dancer in 2011 for season 13 and won three Mirrorball trophies: season 20 with Rumer Willis, season 23 with Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, and season 32 with actress Xochitl Gomez, and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work alongside his wife, pro dancer Jenna Johnson. This season he is partnered with actress and dancer Jenna Dewan.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Suspended over a since-deleted post; apology issued. No one has alleged an actual threat, and no allegation of violence has been made; the suspension was for what the post was widely read as implying. Chmerkovskiy apologized publicly, called it a “poor decision” and “bad judgment,” and did not dispute the suspension.

The flashpoint was the show’s first “Super Bowl Night” on Tuesday, October 13. Inaba criticized a rule-breaking lift in the samba Johnson danced with partner Harry Shum Jr. — per Page Six, she read the definition of a lift aloud from a sheet of paper while the audience fell “uncomfortably silent,” and also instructed Shum Jr. to “put more content in [his] dances.” Johnson later told host Julianne Hough she “could totally hear Carrie Ann. I will take it. Sure,” per the outlet’s account of the broadcast.

The next day, Chmerkovskiy responded on TikTok. Beneath a clip of the couple’s scores he wrote, “Put some respect on her name. She’s trippin’ talking to her like that,” and then, in a since-deleted TikTok Story per People’s report as cited by Page Six, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.” The reference was to the 2022 Oscar-night moment when Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage after Rock joked about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith — and Deadline reported the comment “was widely interpreted to suggest, however jokingly, that he had considered taking action similar to Smith’s,” though the dancer later said he hadn’t thought that far. Fans criticized the post in the comments thread.

Inaba saw the post. On Thursday she posted on Instagram — over photos of Chmerkovskiy and Smith, per Deadline — “So this is what we are doing now?” while thanking media outlets for bringing it to her attention. The same day, Chmerkovskiy issued an apology on Instagram Stories: “I have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally, and I also want to apologize publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside of our internal DWTS family… I am truly sorry to Carrie Ann, and everyone who I hurt with my careless post. I will do better moving forward.”

The suspension came Saturday, October 17. “The well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is non-negotiable,” BBC Studios said in a statement carried by Deadline, TheWrap and Page Six. “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.” Chmerkovskiy responded with a statement issued through his representative: “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. Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.”

Public Reaction and Consequences

The suspension made national entertainment coverage within hours, with the New York Post, Deadline, TheWrap and Page Six all reporting the one-week ban. The episode marked the second TikTok-driven backlash around Chmerkovskiy this season: earlier in October, fans accused him of cultural appropriation over cornrows he wore ahead of “Mariah Carey Night,” a look he later removed from the ballroom but defended to Us Weekly, telling the outlet, “There’s nothing to talk about, [other than] the fact that I love the way it looked.” Representatives for Inaba did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on the suspension.

Current Status

Chmerkovskiy is suspended for one week and will miss the show’s “Dedication Night”; the suspension announced October 17 covers only next week’s episode, and neither the producer nor the dancer has described it as longer. His celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan, is reportedly aware of the situation and will dance with pro Alan Bersten next week in a routine dedicated to her mother, per TheWrap. “As you may have seen in the news, I won’t be in the ballroom this week,” Chmerkovskiy wrote, closing with: “Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”

Impact on Their Career/Life

For a three-time champion with more than a decade on the franchise, a produced one-week suspension is the sharpest public discipline of his “Dancing With the Stars” tenure, and it landed on a decision he himself framed as impulsive: a meme about a stage slap, posted in anger at a judge’s scoring. The show drew its line — “the well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is non-negotiable” — and its marquee couple spent the week issuing apologies rather than choreography. Whether the brief absence costs him anything further is unannounced; what is public is a decorated pro suspended, by name, for the tone of a post.

Sources

NY Post, “Val Chmerkovskiy suspended from ‘Dancing With the Stars’ for one week due to controversial TikTok,” Oct 17, 2026 — source
Page Six, “Val Chmerkovskiy suspended from ‘Dancing With the Stars’ for one week,” Oct 17, 2026 — source
Deadline, “Val Chmerkovskiy Gets One-Week ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Suspension,” Oct 17, 2026 — source
TheWrap, “‘DWTS’ Suspends Val Chmerkovskiy for One-Week,” Oct 17, 2026 — source
Entertainment Weekly, “‘DWTS’ pro Val Chmerkovskiy defends his cornrows after taking them out amid backlash,” Oct 2026 — source
Wikipedia, “Valentin Chmerkovskiy,” accessed Oct 17, 2026 — source