Val Chmerkovskiy's One-Week Suspension, Day by Day

Pair of gold strappy ballroom dance heels against a black background

Dancing with the Stars has survived plenty of backstage drama, but it has never benched one of its pros before. Here is how Val Chmerkovskiy's suspension unfolded over a single week, and why I think the show handled it about as well as it could.

Monday, October 13

On the show's first "Super Bowl Night," judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized a lift in a routine by Jenna Johnson, Val's wife, and her partner Harry Shum Jr. She even read out the definition of a lift. It was pointed, but it was the kind of critique judges give every season.

Tuesday, October 14

Val posted on his TikTok story: "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night." Most people read it as a nod to Will Smith's 2022 Oscars slap. He later deleted it, but screenshots travel faster than deletions.

Thursday, October 15

Inaba responded on Instagram with photos of Val and Smith and the line, "So this is what we are doing now?" That post also came down later. The same day Val apologized publicly, saying he had reached out to her directly, that he should never have made the reference, and that he would start "actively pausing to think before I post."

Saturday, October 17

BBC Studios announced he would sit out the next show, saying the well-being of everyone on the production is "non-negotiable" and that the post did not reflect the standards expected. Val accepted it through his representative, explaining that his instinct was to defend his wife and that Inaba did not deserve to be caught in the middle.

Tuesday, October 20

On Dedication Night, co-host Alfonso Ribeiro simply said Val was not there that week. Alan Bersten, eliminated earlier with Giada De Laurentiis, stepped in to dance with Jenna Dewan. The pair called it an "unusual situation" and kept the focus on the routine.

My take

A joke that seems harmless at midnight can read very differently to the person it targets, especially when the reference involves a real act of violence. The apology felt sincere, and the suspension was short and clear. Keeping the on-air mention to one sentence was the right call too, because it let a night about personal tributes stay about the dancers. It also gave Val a clear path back, which matters for a pro who has been part of the show for so long.

For every statement in full and more on how Dedication Night went, read Global Celebrity Meter's report on the Val Chmerkovskiy DWTS suspension.

Photo: kurt lichtmann / Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/30662687/)

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