"Dancing with the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba has broken her silence on the brewing ballroom controversy that led to pro dancerVal Chmerkovskiy's one-week suspension.
Inaba, 58, addressed the situation in a comment under her Sunday, Oct. 25, Instagram post, writing, "I have not spoke about what happened because of professional courtesy for those who are still competing, and we actually have standards and practices that keep us separated. But I think a part of this 'headline' has missed a few important parts of what happened."
The drama began during the Oct. 13 "Super Bowl Night" episode, when Inaba criticized professional dancer Jenna Johnson, Chmerkovskiy's wife, for including an illegal lift in her samba with celebrity partner Harry Shum Jr.
Chmerkovskiy, 40, then shared a social media post implying he wanted to slap judge Carrie Ann Inaba like Will Smith did to Chris Rock, who made a joke about the actor's wife Jada Pinkett Smith, at the 2022 Oscars.
Inaba explained in her comment, "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 anytime. 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."
Chmerkovskiy's post quickly sparked outrage, and he apologized publicly and privately to Inaba, saying on social media that his message was poorly stated. On Oct. 17, however, BBC Studios announced that the pro – who has been on "DWTS" since Season 13 in 2011 – would not be participating in Week 6 of the competition.
"The well-being of everyone who works on 'Dancing With the Stars' is non-negotiable," BBC said at the time. "Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show."
Chmerkovskiy also issued a second statement apologizing: “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.
“Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was," he added. "The last thing I want is to become a distraction from an important week or from the incredible work my dance partner Jenna Dewan is putting in. Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole 'DWTS' family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!"
Inaba has served as a judge on "Dancing with the Stars" since its 2005 debut. The former professional dancer and choreographer, who performed as one of the original Fly Girls on "In Living Color" from 1990 to 1992 and served as cohost ofCBS' daytime show "The Talk" for three seasons, from 2019 to 2022, had not publicly commented on the ongoing controversy.
The punishment sidelined Chmerkovskiy for the Oct. 20 "Dedication Night" episode, leaving his celebrity partner, actress Jenna Dewan, to perform with substitute professional Alan Bersten, who had already been eliminated from the competition.
Chmerkovskiy is set to return to the ballroom Oct. 27 for Horror Movie Night, where he and "The Rookie" actress are performing an Argentine tango to the song "Uninvited," inspired by the movie "28 Weeks Later."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'DWTS' judge Carrie Ann Inaba breaks silence on Val Chmerkovskiy suspension
