Dancing With the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy is speaking out for the first time after receiving a one-week suspension from the competition over comments he made about judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
Chmerkovskiy sparked controversy the day after the show’s “Super Bowl Night,” during which Inaba offered harsh criticism of Chmerkovskiy’s wife, DWTS pro Jenna Johnson, and her celebrity partner, Harry Shum Jr.
In a since-deleted post, Chmerkovskiy reacted to Inaba’s comments, writing, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” seemingly referencing Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
In a statement released on Saturday, Oct. 17, BBC Studios addressed the controversy, saying, “The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable. 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.”
RELATED: Val Chmerkovskiy Slams Carrie Ann Inaba for Critiquing Jenna Johnson’s ‘DWTS’ Choreography
Chmerkovskiy’s celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan, will instead perform with Alan Bersten during the show’s annual “Dedication Night,” with a dance dedicated to Dewan’s mother, Nancy.
In a statement shared to his Instagram Story that same day, Chmerkovskiy addressed his suspension and apologized again for his comments. He had previously apologized to Inaba via Instagram after his post went viral online.
“Hi everyone. As you may have seen in the news, I won’t be in the ballroom this week,” Chmerkovskiy began. “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.”
“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,” he continued. “Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”
DWTS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
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