“DWTS” News: “Dancing With the Stars” Dancer, Val Chmerkovskiy, Banned After “Inappropriate” Post on Social Media

LOS ANGELES– “Dancing with the Stars” fires professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy after an “inappropriate” social media post about judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

“The well-being of all those who work Dancing with the stars “This is non-negotiable,” BBC Studios, which produces the show, said in a statement on Saturday. “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 be appearing on next week’s show.”

After Tuesday’s Super Bowl theme party, Chmerkovskiy took to TikTok and fired back at Inaba’s comments, in which the judge criticized professional dancer Jenna Johnson for having a lift in her routine, even while reading the definition of a lift.

Jenna Johnson is married to Chmerkovskiy.

Chmerkovskiy’s post, which was deleted, appears to reference Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, according to multiple entertainment outlets.

“At a time when my instinct was to defend my wife, I made the wrong decision to reference a meme to ‘keep my wife’s name’ out of the conversation, without thinking about what else that reference might imply, which was actually never my intention,” Chmerkovskiy said in a later social media post. “Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.”

Chmerkovskiy was partnered with Jenna Dewan, having just won all nine from the judges during Week 5’s Super Bowl theme party.

Instead, next week, Dewan will dance with professional dancer Alan Bersten, who was eliminated in week three, for Tuesday’s book signing party.

BBC Studios said Dewan was aware of the changes and had continued to be professional and respectful of the process.

“Dancing with the Stars” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming on Disney+. Episodes premiere the next day on Hulu.

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