Val Chmerkovskiy will not be participating in the upcoming episode of “Dancing With The Stars.”
The show announced Oct. 17 that Chmerkovskiy, a pro on the competition who’s currently paired with actor Jenna Dewan, will be suspended for a week.
It comes after Chmerkovskiy found himself in hot water last week when he posted a status on TikTok that appeared to reference Will Smith’s notorious altercation with Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. The pro had been reacting to the harsh critique that judge Carrie Ann Inaba gave his wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson who’s paired up with actor Harry Shum Jr.
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” Chmerkovskiy wrote in the since-deleted status seen by NBC News.
In a statement sent to NBC News, BBC Studios, the production company behind “DWTS,” said that 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,” the statement said. “As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”
Chmerkovskiy responded to the news of his suspension by posting an apology to his Instagram story. The dancer wrote that he initially intended 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,” he wrote, referencing Smith’s words to Rock amid the Oscars spat, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—— mouth.”
Chmerkovskiy added: “Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.”
He also had some well wishes for those on the show.
“Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night,” he wrote. “I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”
Inaba has not responded publicly to Chmerkovskiy’s apology or suspension.
Instead of performing with Chmerkovskiy, Dewan will be dancing with pro Alan Bersten in a number that’s dedicated to her mother.
Things got heated amid the Oct. 13 episode of “DWTS” when Inaba accused Johnson of incorporating a lift into her samba routine with Shum. The Latin style of dance traditionally prohibits the move — something that the judge has enforced in the past.
While Johnson, looking confused, asked, “Lift?” Inaba returned with an immediate response.
“A lift is, I just need to say it,” she said before reading off of a sheet of paper with the printed definition. “Any movement during which one of the dancers has both feet off the floor at the same time with the assistance or support of their partner. Yeah. Lift.”
Later on in the episode, Johnson appeared to take the criticism well.
“I will take it, sure,” she said.
Chmerkovskiy has previously apologized for his TikTok status. On Oct. 15, he posted on his Instagram story that he had reached out to Inaba directly to apologize.
“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,” he wrote in the Instagram story.
