In 60 seconds: Dancing With the Stars suspended pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy for a week — the first pro suspension in the show's history — after a deleted social media post that appeared to reference Will Smith's Oscars slap, aimed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba. His partner Jenna Dewan danced Tuesday's Dedication Night with substitute pro Alan Bersten instead.
- Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended for one week of DWTS Season 35 after a since-deleted post that seemed to invoke Will Smith slapping Chris Rock — directed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
- The post followed Inaba's critique of an alleged illegal lift in the samba danced by Chmerkovskiy's wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, and Harry Shum Jr.
- BBC Studios called the post "inappropriate" and said he would miss the Oct. 20 "Dedication Night" episode; Chmerkovskiy apologized, saying he never intended the implication.
- It's the first pro suspension in DWTS history — Jenna Dewan performed a Viennese waltz with Alan Bersten and scored 37/40.
- The suspension is for one week, so Chmerkovskiy is expected back if Dewan's votes keep her in the competition.
A ballroom dance competition under the lights — DWTS has never suspended a pro dancer before this week. Photo: Che, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)
Of all the sentences I expected to type this week, "a ballroom dancer got suspended over a slap joke" was not one of them. But Dancing With the Stars has benched one of its biggest pros over a post that offended just about everyone — including the man who wrote it.
What happened
Two-time Mirrorball winner Val Chmerkovskiy — a DWTS pro since Season 13 in 2011 — will not dance this week. BBC Studios, which produces the show, announced Saturday, Oct. 17 that he would sit out Week 6's "Dedication Night" after a social media post that appeared to reference Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. The implied target: longtime DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
It started during the Oct. 13 "Super Bowl Night" episode. Inaba praised the entertainment value of the samba performed by Chmerkovskiy's wife — fellow pro Jenna Johnson — and her celebrity partner Harry Shum Jr., but she also flagged an alleged illegal lift. Chmerkovskiy, 40, fired back with a since-deleted TikTok post: "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night." Inaba saw it. "So this is what we are doing now?" she wrote on Instagram. Then the producers stepped in.
Latest verified facts
BBC Studios didn't mince words: "The well-being of everyone who works on 'Dancing With the Stars' is non-negotiable. 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 apologized on Oct. 17 via Instagram Stories: "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." He added: "Carrie Ann certainly didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was."
People confirmed this is the first pro suspension in the show's 35-season history — and that it wasn't triggered by an HR complaint from Inaba; BBC Studios opened its own investigation under company protocol. The show went on without him: co-host Alfonso Ribeiro opened Tuesday's episode with seven careful words — "Val is not with us this week." Dewan danced a Viennese waltz to "Unchained Melody" with Alan Bersten, eliminated in Week 3 with chef Giada De Laurentiis. The pair scored 37 out of 40, and Inaba gave Dewan her first 10 of the season.
Why it matters
On the surface, this is celebrity drama. The reason it's the most-searched entertainment topic in America right now is what it says about where the lines are. Chmerkovskiy's defense is that he was referencing a meme to defend his wife, not threatening anyone. The show's answer is that the reference itself — invoking one of the most infamous moments of televised violence in recent memory, aimed at a colleague — was disqualifying regardless of intent.
The irony: Chmerkovskiy said his instinct was to protect Jenna Johnson. Instead, his post made the week harder for both Jennas — Johnson, watching her husband's controversy swallow the conversation, and Dewan, learning a Viennese waltz with a brand-new partner. Inaba, meanwhile, showed up, judged fairly, and handed out a 10.
Impact on the USA and the world
DWTS is one of the last true broadcast-TV tentpoles — live, family viewing in an era when almost nothing is. Millions of Americans who don't follow celebrity social media still watched Tuesday's episode and noticed the empty spot where Val usually stands. The story has also revived debate about the 2022 Oscars slap — four years on, it remains the go-to shorthand for "celebrity loses control," which is exactly why the reference landed so badly. For the show's producers, the message to the cast is unmistakable: the ballroom has rules, and so does the timeline.
What happens next
The suspension covers one week, so the working assumption is Chmerkovskiy returns for Week 7 — if Dewan survives Dedication Night. Her 37/40 helps, but DWTS eliminations are part judges' scores, part viewer votes, and sympathy votes are real on this show. The bigger question is whether the awkwardness lingers when they share the ballroom again. My take: both have every incentive to move on fast — she to keep judging credibly, he to keep his job. The show gets a ratings bump and a precedent for the next time someone's thumbs outrun their brain. Everybody wins, except whoever choreographs the reunion dance.
Sources: USA Today (Oct. 20, 2026); People (Oct. 20, 2026); For The Win/USA Today (Oct. 20, 2026); BBC Studios statement via NBC News and The Hollywood Reporter (Oct. 17, 2026); Val Chmerkovskiy's Instagram Stories statement (Oct. 17, 2026).
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