Val Chmerkovskiy's TikTok post about Carrie Ann Inaba leads to one-week 'Dancing With the Stars' suspension

Val Chmerkovskiy will miss one week of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ after a TikTok post that seemed to reference the Will Smith Oscar slap.

Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from Dancing with the Stars for one week after a TikTok post that seemed to point to Will Smith’s 2022 Oscar slap. The post was later deleted.

Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from ‘Dancing with the Stars’ for one week after a TikTok post. (Instagram/ @valentin)

Producer BBC Studios announced the suspension in a statement. It said: “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."

What did Val Chmerkovskiy post?

According to Deadline, the controversy began the day after the show’s first “Super Bowl Night.” On that night, judge Carrie Ann Inaba strongly criticized the performance of Chmerkovskiy’s wife, DWTS pro Jenna Johnson. As per the report, Inaba’s critique was about a lift move by Johnson. She read out the definition of a lift and suggested Johnson should know better.

As per Deadline, the Fresh Prince comment referred, on purpose or not, to the 2022 Oscar night when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. According to the report, many people read the TikTok as a hint, even if a joke, that Chmerkovskiy had thought about doing something like Smith did. However, the dancer later said he had not thought that far.

Chmerkovskiy says sorry

After posting the TikTok, Chmerkovskiy apologized on Instagram. He wrote: “I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post. I have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally, and I also want to apologize publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside of our internal DWTS family. I should have never made the reference that I did and I deeply regret it. I recognize that I am in a fortunate position to have a platform and to be a role model to some, and I need to treat that with more care by actively pausing to think before I post to ensure what I am sharing aligns with who I am, and who I want to be for you all.”