After a one-week suspension from "Dancing with the Stars," pro dancerVal Chmerkovskiy returned to the ballroom Tuesday, Oct. 27, rejoining celebrity partner Jenna Dewan for the ABC ballroom competition's Horror Movie Night episode.
Chmerkovskiy, 40, was forced to sit out the Oct. 20 Dedication Night episode following a controversial social media post directed at longtime judge Carrie Ann Inaba that appeared to reference Will Smith's infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
Upon his return, Chmerkovskiy was thrilled to reunite with Dewan in rehearsals, telling her, "I am so sorry for all the chaos, you did not sign up for that and I feel awful." She accepted his apology and offered a hug, before focusing their sights on the Argentine Tango
inspired by "Zombie" movies this week.
After their impressive dance, the judges had only good things to say − including Inaba, who opened her feedback with a compliment for Chmerkovskiy specifically. "Incredible choreography, Val," she said.
He had a big smile on his face as he thanked her for the acknowledgment.
She also told the pair, "The dance as a whole was perfection," before giving them a 9 for the dance.
The dispute began after Inaba criticized a samba performed by Chmerkovskiy's wife, fellow pro dancer Jenna Johnson, and her celebrity partner Harry Shum Jr., citing an illegal lift.
"You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night," Chmerkovskiy wrote in a since-deleted TikTok post, apparently invoking Smith's "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" character and the actor's notorious 2022 Oscars outburst.
The post prompted a one-week suspension from the show, with producers saying Chmerkovskiy's remarks did not align with the competition's values.
Chmerkovskiy has apologized to Inaba, acknowledging his poor judgment.
"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," Chmerkovskiy wrote on Instagram Stories to his 1.6 million followers on Oct. 18.
During his absence, Dewan, 45, was paired with returning pro Alan Bersten for the Oct. 20 episode, performing a Viennese waltz to the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" in honor of her mother, Nancy. Bersten had previously been eliminated from the Season 35 competition with celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis.
Inaba broke her silence on the situation in an Oct. 25 Instagram comment: "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.
"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," she said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Val Chmerkovskiy returns to 'DWTS,' shares heartfelt moment with Carrie Ann Inaba
