“Dancing With the Stars” addressed pro Val Chmerkovskiy’s suspension head-on during Tuesday’s emotion-packed “Dedication Night” episode.
“As you can see, Alan Bersten is with Jenna Dewan because Val is not with us this week,” co-host Alfonso Ribeiro said at the very top of the episode after each couple’s introduction.
Later in the episode, during the intro package to Dewan and Bersten’s performance, the temporary pair tiptoed around the topic.
“First and foremost, I know it’s a really unusual situation, but I feel so honored to step in and help you this week,” Bersten told Dewan in the clip, with her responding by simply thanking him.
Bersten then acknowledged how important “Dedication Night” is and said he wanted to “make sure this week’s focus is all about [her]” as she honored her mother, Nancy Lee Bursch, whom she dedicated the performance to.
“I wanna make sure this dance is so special — not only for you, but for your mom,” Bersten told the “Step Up” star.
During the judging for their routine, judge Carrie Ann Inaba seemingly alluded to the behind-the-scenes drama between her and Chmerkovskiy, telling Dewan, “I know this journey has been a lot.”
“You continue to come out here, giving us all your heart, all your soul,” she told the actress. “That dance, to me, was the ultimate breakthrough. Your heart was open. You felt free. You felt light.”
As Dewan and Bersten awaited their scores, co-host Julianne Hough alluded to the “emotional night” and “emotional week” behind them.
The duo ultimately scored a 37/40 for their Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers, for which Bursch joined them during the routine.
Chmerkovskiy was suspended from the competition following a controversial social media post he shared last week referencing Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap.
The dancer made the post in an attempt to defend his wife, fellow “DWTS” pro Jenna Johnson, from the tough criticism that Inaba gave her on the Oct. 13 episode, which was themed “Super Bowl Night.”
Inaba came at Johnson for including an “illegal” lift with partner Harry Shum Jr. during their samba, with the judge reading out the definition from a piece of paper. The harsh words reportedly left Johnson in tears.
Chmerkovskiy did not seem to like Inaba’s comments, as he took to Instagram to reference Smith’s 2022 Oscars incident, when the actor slapped comedian Chris Rock and demanded that he keep his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s name out of his mouth.
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” Chmerkovskiy wrote as his TikTok status shortly after. It has since been deleted.
He also responded to a TikTok video made by a fan about the incident, writing in the comments section, “Puts some respect on her name. Shes trippin talking to her like that.”
The reference sparked upset in the “DWTS” community, later resulting in a one-week suspension for the pro.
“The well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,’” read a statement from producer BBC Studios, per Deadline.
“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.”
Chmerkovskiy responded to the suspension in a statement obtained by Page Six on Saturday.
“As you may have seen in the news, I won’t be in the ballroom this week,” he wrote.
The dancer said that he “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 [his] intention.”
“Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was,” his statement continued.
“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 concluded, before urging fans to send the “DWTS” family “love” ahead of this week’s episode.
Chmerkovskiy also apologized to fans on social media, sharing that he had reached out to Inaba “directly and personally” to do the same.
Instead of performing with Chmerkovskiy this week, Dewan danced with pro Alan Bersten.
New episodes of “DWTS” air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC and Disney+, and stream on Hulu the following day.
For more of Page Six’s “Dancing With the Stars” coverage, click here.
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