October 18, 2026 — Dancing With the Stars professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended for one week following a controversial social media joke about judge Carrie Ann Inaba that appeared to reference Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
Latest Update — October 18, 2026
Val Chmerkovskiy’s DWTS replacement has been confirmed. Alan Bersten will partner Jenna Dewan for the October 20 Dedication Night episode following Chmerkovskiy’s one-week suspension over his controversial Will Smith Oscars slap joke.
Dewan will perform a Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody” in tribute to her mother. Chmerkovskiy has apologised to Carrie Ann Inaba and encouraged viewers to support Dewan during his absence.
Suspension status: The disciplinary action currently covers one episode. No permanent dismissal has been announced.
The decision followed a disagreement between Inaba and Chmerkovskiy’s wife, professional dancer Jenna Johnson, during the October 13 episode of the ABC competition.
‘Dancing with the Stars’ Pro Val Chmerkovskiy faces one week suspension due to comments made against Judge Carrie Ann Inaba on Social Media #DWTS https://t.co/xzh325s1g4
— The DWTS Report (@dwtsreport) October 17, 2026
What started as criticism of a samba routine soon turned into a bigger controversy when Val posted a joke about the situation. Although he later apologised, producers decided he would miss the next episode.
His celebrity partner, actress Jenna Dewan, will continue competing with another professional dancer.
How Did the Controversy Start Between Jenna Johnson and Carrie Ann Inaba?
The disagreement began during the October 13 Super Bowl Night episode, when Jenna Johnson and actor Harry Shum Jr. performed a samba.
During the judges’ comments, Carrie Ann Inaba questioned the amount of samba content in the routine and identified what she believed was an illegal lift.
Under the show’s rules, lifts are restricted in certain dance styles. The disagreement centred on whether a movement involving supporting dancers should have been treated as an illegal lift.
Johnson disagreed with Inaba’s interpretation, explaining that the movement involved supporting dancers rather than a traditional lift between herself and Shum Jr.
The exchange created a tense moment during the live broadcast. Inaba defended her ruling, while Johnson maintained that the choreography should not have been penalised.
The pair received 33 out of 40 points, placing them in a tie for fourth on the leaderboard.
The disagreement became one of the most discussed moments of the episode, which also saw Guillermo Rodriguez eliminated. Swikblog previously covered the performances, judging decisions and leaderboard in its DWTS Super Bowl Night results and scores.
But the disagreement did not end when the scores were announced.
Viewers began debating whether Inaba had applied the lift rules fairly. Some questioned why certain movements were penalised while apparently similar choreography in other performances had escaped deductions.
Val Chmerkovskiy, who is married to Johnson, subsequently commented on the situation through social media.
Both couples had been performing strongly earlier in the season. During Mariah Carey Night on October 6, Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr. earned 24 out of 30 points for their tango, matching Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy’s score. Their performances and the evening’s results were covered in Swikblog’s DWTS Mariah Carey Night recap.
Val’s involvement in the judging dispute turned what had initially been a disagreement over choreography into a much more serious controversy.
What Was Val Chmerkovskiy’s Will Smith Slap Joke, and Why Was He Suspended?
Following the episode, Chmerkovskiy reportedly shared a message on his TikTok Story that read:
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.”
At first glance, the message might appear to be a harmless reference to actor Will Smith’s famous television character from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
However, its timing and context gave the comment a different meaning.
During the 2022 Academy Awards, Smith walked onto the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock after Rock made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
By referring to the Fresh Prince immediately after his wife’s disagreement with Inaba, Val appeared to be joking that he might have confronted the judge in a similar manner.
That interpretation triggered criticism because the original Oscars incident involved a physical assault against a comedian performing onstage.
Some viewers believed the comment trivialised violence and was inappropriate for a professional dancer discussing a judge on a television competition.
Others interpreted it as an exaggerated joke from a husband frustrated by criticism directed at his wife.
Inaba subsequently responded to the circulating comment on Instagram, reportedly writing:
“So this is what we’re doing now?”
Her response drew further attention to the remark, shifting the discussion away from dance scoring and towards the treatment of judges.
The original choreography dispute also attracted commentary from former DWTS professional Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Val’s brother, who questioned the handling of the routine.
However, the disagreement over the samba judging and Val’s subsequent social media joke remained two separate issues.
On Saturday, October 17, BBC Studios, the production company behind Dancing With the Stars, confirmed that Chmerkovskiy would be suspended from the next episode.
The company described the social media comment as inappropriate and stressed the importance of maintaining a respectful working environment.
By then, Chmerkovskiy had already apologised to Inaba.
He publicly acknowledged that his attempt to defend his wife had been misguided and expressed regret about the impact of his words.
Chmerkovskiy also said he had apologised privately, recognising that his position on a nationally televised programme carried additional responsibility.
Despite those apologies, producers proceeded with the one-week suspension.
The decision also affects actress Jenna Dewan, who was partnered with Chmerkovskiy this season.
Dewan will now dance with professional Alan Bersten during the upcoming Dedication Night episode.
Bersten, who had previously been eliminated from the competition, will return to perform a Viennese waltz with Dewan to “Unchained Melody” as a tribute to her mother.
Dewan remains in the competition, while Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr. will continue performing as a separate couple.
Chmerkovskiy has encouraged viewers to support Dewan and the remaining contestants despite his absence.
The suspension has divided viewers. Some believe joking about violence towards a judge was unacceptable, particularly in a professional environment where disagreements are inevitable.
Others argue that the remark was an ill-judged joke rather than a genuine threat and question whether a suspension was necessary after his apology.
Importantly, there has been no reported physical altercation between Chmerkovskiy and Inaba. The disciplinary action concerns his social media post, not an actual assault.
As of October 18, the publicly reported suspension covers one episode. There has been no confirmed announcement of a permanent dismissal.
The incident has raised a broader question for a programme known for emotional performances and heated judging exchanges: how far can a professional dancer go when publicly defending a family member?
Do you think Val Chmerkovskiy’s one-week suspension was justified, or should his public apology have been enough?
Sources: People — Original judging controversy; TV Insider — Val’s apology; and Page Six — Suspension report.
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