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Val Chmerkovsky speaking out after being stretched arbitrarily Dancing With The Stars A night of dedication over his controversial opinion about the judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
“Hi everyone. As you may have seen in the news, I won’t be in the ballroom this week,” Chmerkovskiy, 40, wrote via his Instagram Stories on Saturday, October 17.
On Tuesday, October 13, a live program of DWTSjudge Carrie Ann Inaba questioned whether Chmerkovskiy’s wife, pro partner Jenna Johnson, included an illegal lift in her samba with a celebrity partner Harry Shum Jr. While Johnson, 32, cleared the air afterward with Inaba, 58, Chmerkovskiy took to social media and appeared to threaten to slap the ballroom judge. (He sent a public apology to Inaba days later.)
“Carrie Ann certainly did not deserve to be caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was,” he said Saturday. “The last thing I want is to be distracted from an important week or the amazing work my dance partner, Jenna Dewan, is doing.”
Chmerkovsky and Dewan, 45, were expecting do a Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers in honor of the actress’ mother, Nancy, during a live show on Tuesday, October 20. In light of the controversial comments at the three-time mirror ball camp, DWTS announced that Saturday he will no longer participate on the broadcast.
“Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna and the whole DWTS much love to the family on Inauguration Night,” Chmerkovskiy finished his statement. “I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”
In light of Chmerkovskiy’s one-week suspension, a spokesperson for BBC Studios released a statement on behalf of the show.
“Good luck to everyone who works on it Dancing with the Stars irreconcilable,” said the representative Us in a statement. “Val’s post on social media was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone associated with the show. As a result, he will not be participating in next week’s show.”
Johnson, for her part, has not publicly addressed her husband’s comments or suspension. She did commented on Shum’s recent Instagram post celebrating the whole team with a crazy heart emoji.
Dancing With the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy is coming to the defense of his wife and partner Jenna Johnson after her construction debacle with judge Carrie Ann Inaba. “Putting some respect on her name,” Chmerkovskiy, 40, wrote in the comments of a TikTok video of Johnson, 32, and partner Harry Shum Jr. […]
“Remember this is a dance show. It’s supposed to be happy,” wrote Shum, 44, via Instagram on Friday, October 16.
After that Shum complimented his partner DWTS rivals, including Dewan.
“I have admired you since I met you several decades ago,” he wrote about him The Rocker a star “You are a powerhouse of a performer, but what I remember most is how nice and gracious you were to me when I was a creative young man trying to understand this business.
Dewan will partner with him Alan Bersten without Chmerkovsky.
Dancing With The Stars On Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+ at 8pm ET.
