Dancing with the Stars bars Val Chmerkovskiy for a week over Will Smith slap reference

Mixed · 2Dancing with the Stars will not feature pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy in next week's episode, the Dedication Night show on Oct. 20, after a social media post that seemed to reference Will Smith's 2022 Oscars slap. 1 2 Mixed · 2BBC Studios, the production company behind the show, said in a statement on Saturday: "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." 3 1 Mixed · 2The post was a TikTok Story that read, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night." It followed an episode in which judge Carrie Ann Inaba critiqued the dance of Chmerkovskiy's wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, and read out the definition of a "lift". 2 1

Mixed · 2The outlets read the line as a reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars after Rock joked about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Variety says it "seemingly" referenced the slap, while Deadline says it "seemed to". 1 3 Left · 2The post was deleted. The Hollywood Reporter says it was live for at least six hours and that a Reddit thread read it as meaning Chmerkovskiy "wanted to slap Carrie Ann". Inaba responded on Instagram, writing "So this is what we are doing now?", according to The Hollywood Reporter. Variety says she thanked the media for alerting her to the remark. 2 3 Mixed · 2Chmerkovskiy apologised on his Instagram Story on Thursday, saying he had contacted Inaba to apologise personally and publicly, that he "should have never made the reference that I did" and that he deeply regretted it. 2 1

Mixed · 2His celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan, will dance with Alan Bersten, who was eliminated earlier in the season, in his place. Variety reports she will dance a Viennese waltz to "Unchained Melody", dedicated to her mother. A source told Variety that Dewan is aware of the decision and "has continued to be a true professional and respectful of the process". 3 1 Left · 1The Hollywood Reporter says Dewan and Chmerkovskiy have consistently scored well and topped the leaderboard on the previous week's Super Bowl Night. It adds that this is the show's 35th season. 2