Val Chmerkovskiy is navigating the consequences of a misstep. After the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ pro appeared to reference Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars slap in response to judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s critique of wife Jenna Johnson’s recent samba routine, the show’s production company BBC Studios has handed the dancer a one-week suspension. “The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,” BBC Studios shared in a statement Oct. 17 obtained by E! News. “Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show. As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.” Shortly after news broke, Chmerkovskiy—who is paired with ‘Rookie’ star Jenna Dewan for season 35—addressed his suspension in a statement, taking accountability for his actions. “As you may have seen in the news, I won’t be in the ballroom this week,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories Oct. 17. “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.” He continued, “Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was. 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.” The three-time DWTS champion came under fire over his response to Inaba’s now-viral critique about Johnson and her partner Harry Shum Jr.’s samba performance from the Oct. 13 episode. After Inaba called out the pair for featuring what she considered an illegal lift, resulting in confusion and tension in the ballroom, Chmerkovskiy changed his TikTok status on Oct. 14 to read, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” per screenshots shared on social media. As he later confirmed, he referenced the 2022 moment when Smith—who starred on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—told Oscars host Chris Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth” before Smith infamously slapped him across the face. Full Story: https://www.eonline.com/news/1437199/dwts-val-chmerkovskiy-suspended-after-will-smith-oscars-slap-comment
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