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“Dancing With the Stars” pro Val Chmerkovskiy and judge Carrie Ann Inaba have made amends, concluding the hectic saga that has ensued since Chmerkovskiy made an “inappropriate” joke about Inaba earlier this month that resulted
in his getting benched from the competition.
On Tuesday night’s episode of the dance competition series, Chmerkovskiy was back in the ballroom following a one-week suspension from the show. The decision by the show to remove him from the competition temporarily was made after Chmerkovskiy posted to his TikTok story, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” after his wife, fellow judge Jenna Johnson, was critiqued by Inaba during the Oct. 13 episode of the show. The TikTok was interpreted as a reference to Will Smith’s infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars, and deemed “inappropriate” by BBC Studios.
While Chmerkovskiy’s absence was not touched upon in last week’s episode, this week, as Val returned, audiences saw the pro apologize to his partner, Jenna Dewan. “We are back together. I am so sorry for all the chaos. You did not sign up for that, and I feel awful,” Chmerkovskiy said during their pre-dance package, to which Dewan responded: “I forgive you…I missed you.”
Following Tuesday’s show, Chmerkovskiy and Inaba embraced one another, as caught on camera across social media. “It felt [like] cathartic relief, you know?” Chmerkovskiy told People about speaking with Inaba. “I think it was just really important for me to make sure that she feels safe and knows that, firsthand from me, I want nothing but love for her.”
He continued: “I want nothing but joy for her and as much as the world might say otherwise, I want her to know how I feel, not how others want me to feel, but how I genuinely feel. I will have nothing but love for Carrie Ann. I have nothing but respect for what she has to say.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Inaba posted a lengthy statement to Instagram about the saga. “I have not spoken about what happened because of professional courtesy for those who are still competing, and we actually have standards and practices that keep us separated,” Inaba began.
“But I think a part of this ‘headline’ has missed a few important parts of what happened,” Inaba continued. “I think it’s important for everyone to know that Jenna and I hugged it out after the Super Bowl show. Jenna was an absolute professional about it, and two women worked through the moment. It came to my attention later that Jenna was deeply hurt. So I also offered to speak with her at any time. I have also offered to discuss the lift rule and how I enforce it. @sharnaburgess made a great video explaining lifts, assists and which dances allow and don’t allow them.”
“I think in the future, a new lift rule should be created for next season,” she concluded. “Working together to create a better understanding between the dancers and the judges and our audience is important to me, as we move forward and is something I have asked for.”
