Alan Bersten will fill in for Val Chmerkovskiy as Jenna Dewan’s partner on“ DWTS” this week

Daysia TolentinoSat, October 17, 2026 at 9:56 PM UTC

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Alan Bersten; Val Chmerkovskiy; Jenna DewanCredit: Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty;Amy Sussman/Getty;Jesse Grant/Variety via GettyChmerkovskiy announced that he will take a step back from the ballroom following his tense comments directed toward judge Carrie Ann Inaba.Key Points -

Jenna Dewan has been paired with Alan Bersten for this upcoming week of Dancing With the Stars.

Dewan’s partner Val Chmerkovskiy is taking a step back from the ballroom.

Chmerkovskiy received backlash and apologized after invoking Will Smith’s Oscars slap in a comment about Carrie Ann Inaba.

Alan Bersten will dance with Jenna Dewan amid Val Chmerkovskiy’s absence on Dancing With the Stars, Entertainment Weekly can confirm.

BBC Studios, which produces DWTS, and Chmerkovskiy announced that he would not be featured on the show this week. The move comes after the pro made a heated comment toward judge Carrie Ann Inaba on Wednesday, invoking Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap.

Chmerkovskiy issued a statement about his upcoming absence on his Instagram Story Saturday.

“In a moment where my instinct was 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. “Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and hate that she was.”

Chmerkovskiy, who is married to fellow ballroom pro Jenna Johnson, had attempted to defend his wife from Inaba’s criticism on Wednesday. The night before, Inaba got into a tense exchange with Johnson during “Super Bowl Night,” calling out the pro over a “lift” in her samba routine to “Yeah!” by Usher ft. Lil Jon and Ludacris. The judge read the definition of a lift to Johnson during her critique.

Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy during ‘Super Bowl Night’ on Oct. 13Credit: Disney/Christopher Willard

As for the offensive comment at the center of his removal, the 40-year-old wrote in a TikTok story, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night” (per PEOPLE). He later apologized for his remarks.

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“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 in his statement on Saturday. “Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”

Alan Bersten and Giada De Laurentiis during ‘Viral Hits Night’ on Sept. 22Credit: Disney/Christopher Willard

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EW reached out to Dewan for comment.

Bersten was eliminated alongside his partner Giada De Laurentiis during week two of the competition. While they didn’t make it far in their quest for the Mirrorball Trophy, Bersten shared a message of support to his partner on Sept. 22.

“Giada, you’ve made me proud,” he said.

on Entertainment Weekly

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