Val Chmerkovskiy has been pulled from next week’s Dancing With the Stars following a social media post targeting judge Carrie Ann Inaba. The professional dancer later apologized, admitting that he made a poor decision while trying to defend his wife, Jenna Johnson.

BBC Studios, the production company behind the ABC competition, confirmed the decision on Saturday, October 17, following the controversy surrounding Chmerkovskiy’s deleted TikTok post.

“The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,” the company said in a statement. It described the post as inappropriate and said it did not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone associated with the show. As a result, Chmerkovskiy will not participate in the following week’s episode.

The controversy began after the show’s Super Bowl Night on October 13. During the episode, Inaba criticized a lift performed in a routine involving Johnson, Chmerkovskiy’s wife. The judge even read out the definition of a lift while explaining her critique, prompting a reaction from the professional dancer.

Chmerkovskiy subsequently posted a response on TikTok. The now-deleted post reportedly appeared to reference the infamous 2022 Oscars incident in which Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Several entertainment outlets interpreted the reference as a warning directed at Inaba, although Chmerkovskiy later said that was not what he intended.

In a subsequent social media statement, the dancer acknowledged his mistake and explained that his emotions had influenced his response.

He said his instinct had been to defend his wife, but he had made a poor decision by referencing a meme associated with the phrase about keeping his wife’s name out of the conversation. He admitted that he had failed to consider the other implications of the reference and stressed that those implications were never his intention.

Chmerkovskiy also apologized directly for involving Inaba in the situation, saying she did not deserve to become caught up in his bad judgment.

The fallout has also affected Johnson’s plans for the competition. Chmerkovskiy and Johnson had recently earned all nines from the judges during Super Bowl Night, but the upcoming episode will look different for the couple.

Johnson is scheduled to perform with professional dancer Alan Bersten for Dedication Night on Tuesday. Bersten was eliminated from the competition during Week 3 before being brought back to partner with Johnson for the episode.

BBC Studios confirmed that Johnson had been informed of the change and praised her for continuing to approach the process professionally and respectfully.

The incident puts an unexpected spotlight on the relationship between the show’s professional dancers and its judging panel. While disagreements over scores and critiques are a familiar part of competition television, Chmerkovskiy’s post has led to consequences beyond the dance floor.

Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC, with episodes available to stream on Disney+ and the following day on Hulu.

Source: Compiled from various sources.