Val Chmerkovskiy Suspended From Dancing With the Stars Over Slap Reference

Val Chmerkovskiy's suspension followed a social media intervention in a disagreement involving his wife, Jenna Johnson, and Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he invoked Will Smith's Oscars slap while defending Johnson against Inaba's criticism.

"You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night," Chmerkovskiy wrote on his TikTok Story on October 14, the outlet reported. That remark became the focus of the controversy and the show's subsequent disciplinary action.

Inaba responded publicly to the post. In its October 16 coverage, The Hollywood Reporter quoted her response: "So this is what we are doing now?"

Chmerkovskiy then apologized to Inaba. The same October 16 report described his acknowledgment that the reference was "careless" and quoted his pledge: "I will do better."

On October 17, Deadline Hollywood reported that Chmerkovskiy was being suspended for one week over the TikTok message referencing Will Smith's 2022 Oscars slap.

The show's statement made the reason explicit. "The well-being of everyone who works on 'Dancing With the Stars' is non-negotiable," it said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It called his post "inappropriate" and said it did not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show.

The announced penalty is a one-week suspension, not a permanent departure. Jenna Dewan will partner with Alan Bersten for the next episode in Chmerkovskiy's absence, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

The dispute has also drawn a public show of support for Chmerkovskiy. An October 19 post on r/entertainment shared a headline saying Gleb Savchenko criticized Inaba's judging and backed the suspended dancer. The supplied coverage gives no further detail about his remarks.

The immediate next step is Dewan's appearance with Bersten. The supplied reporting establishes a one-week suspension but does not give a specific date for Chmerkovskiy's return.