DWTS' Val Chmerkovskiy Suspended After Will Smith Oscars Slap Comment

Paige Catton Sat, October 17, 2026 at 10:58 PM UTC

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Dancing With the Stars ' Val Chmerkovskiy will not participate in the show’s upcoming Dedication Night episode after he was suspended following the comments he made about judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

Originally appeared on E! Online

Val Chmerkovskiy is navigating the consequences of a misstep.

After the Dancing With the Stars pro appeared to reference Will Smith's 2022 Oscars slap in response to judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s critique of wifeJenna Johnson's recent samba routine, the show’s production company BBC Studios has handed the dancer a one-week suspension.

“The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,” BBC Studios shared in a statement Oct. 17 obtained by E! News. “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.”

Following Chmerkovskiy's absence, sources close to production told E! News that his partner Jenna Dewan will dance with pro Alan Bersten on the Oct. 20 Dedication Night episode, in which the Rookie star will honor her mother.

Shortly after news broke, Chmerkovskiy addressed his suspension in a statement, taking accountability for his actions.

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“As you may have seen in the news, I won't be in the ballroom this week,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories Oct. 17. “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.”

“Carrie Ann certainly didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was,” Chmerkovskiy continued. “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.”

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The 40-year-old—who has been married to Johnson since 2019—ended his statement by offering well wishes to Inaba, Dewan and his DWTS cast members ahead of the show’s upcoming Oct. 20 episode.

“Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night,” Chmerkovskiy wrote. “I'll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”

Disney/Andrew Eccles

The three-time DWTS champion came under fire over his response to Inaba’s now-viral critique about Johnson and her partner Harry Shum Jr.’s samba performance from the Oct. 13 episode.

After Inaba called out the pair for featuring what she considered an illegal lift, resulting in confusion and tension in the ballroom, Chmerkovskiy changed his TikTok status on Oct. 14 to read, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” per screenshots shared on social media.

As he later confirmed, he referenced the 2022 moment when Smith—who starred on TheFresh Prince of Bel-Air—told 2022 Oscars host Chris Rock to “keep my wife's name out of your f--king mouth” before Smith infamously slapped him across the face.

The next day, Chmerkovskiy issued an apology, expressing his regret over using the reference.

"I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post," he wrote on his Instagram Stories Oct. 15. "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."

For a closer look at the cast of Dancing With the Stars season 35, keep reading…

How Much Do the Celebrities Get Paid to Be on Dancing With the Stars?

Citing multiple sources,Varietyreported in 2019 thatDancing With the Starscontestants make $125,000 for the rehearsal period and first two weeks of the show. If they progress beyond that point, the outlet continued, they earn more money each week. At the time, sources told the publication stars could earn a maximum of $295,000.However,Bobby Bonessaid he made more than this when he won season 27 withSharna Burgessin 2018."That show pays OK," the radio personality said on a Sept. 2025 episode ofJason Tartick's podcastTrading Secrets."Like, first episode, no money. Second episode, $10,000. I think it's like, $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, $20,000. It ends up being $50,000 an episode if you last."Also receiving a base salary of around $110,000, Bones continued, "I ended up making close to $400,000 from that show."ABC has not publicly confirmed any of these figures.What Do the Pros Get Paid on Dancing With the Stars?

Similarly, little has been shared publicly about how much the pros get paid. But as with the contestants, it seems like the longer they're on the show, the more money they can make.But even if a pro is eliminated in the first round, they're not leaving the ballroom empty-handed."You're guaranteed until a certain amount of weeks,"Jenna Johnsonsaid on a June 2025 episode ofKelly StaffordandHankWinchester's podcastThe Morning After."I think there's different contracts though. I can't speak for everybody."Do Pros Get Paid More If They Win Dancing With the Stars?

Apparently not.WhileJohnson—who won season 26 with Olympic figure skaterAdamRippon, as well as season 33 withThe Bachelor'sJoey Graziadei—says the pros don't get a larger paycheck if they take home what is now called theLen GoodmanMirrorball Trophy, she noted there's still an incentive to make it to the finale (besides bragging rights, of course)."If you make it all the way to the end, you're getting paid the whole season, which is amazing, and you get a bonus on top of that for making it to the finale," she explained onThe Morning After."If you win, it's not like you win a $1 million and split it with your partner. You're just getting a cute trophy together."Do the Troupe Members Get Paid as Much as the Pros on Dancing With the Stars?

That doesn't appear to be the case.On a 2022 episode ofTrading Secrets,Lindsay Arnoldrecalled how her salary was cut "more than in half" when she was demoted from pro to troupe member.How Are Pros and Celebrities Paired Together on Dancing With the Stars?

The pros get little input when it comes to being matched with a celebrity."You get no say," Lindsay said on a May 2025 episode ofMaggie Sellers'Hot Smart Richpodcast. "It's very much just, 'Here's your partner. Make it work.'"In fact, Jenna said the pairing is often a secret until the last minute."They really want to keep it a secret until you meet them live," Jenna said onThe Morning After. "They want that genuine reaction. So I think people always think we know who we have and we're keeping it a secret. Absolutely not. They do not tell us. They really don't even want us to know the cast. It gets leaked a lot, but they want it very hush-hush until you walk in and meet your partner."As for what theDancing With the Starsteam looks for when making these matches?"It's based on height, build and personality and compatibility," former showrunnerRob Wadetold E! Newsin 2015. "We don't pair people who aren't going to get on. It's too intense. It's not likeThe Bacheloror something, we couldn't do that. That would just be miserable experience for the celebrity, for us and the viewer. You don't want to see two people who don't like each other and, quite frankly, we have made that mistake pairing people up who didn't get on so well."How Often Do the Pros and Celebrities Practice on Dancing With the Stars?

Put simply, a lot."Every day we have four-hour rehearsals,"Rylee Arnold, who was partnered with Olympic gymnastStephen Nedoroscikon season 33, shared on a September 2024 episode of theLightweights PodcastWithJoe Vulpis. "It’s either 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m."But the work doesn't stop once the rehearsal wraps. Rylee noted she might then meet with producers or the creative team, work on choreography or study dance videos."Literally my whole life is devoted to it," she continued, "but it's my passion and it's what I love. So, it makes me so happy."Indeed, it's a no-days-off kind of gig."We have our show day on Tuesday and then it's Wednesday to Sunday, straight rehearsals," Rylee added. "And then Monday we have camera blocking and then Tuesday's show day again."Do the Pros Get to Pick the Songs Each Week for Their Dance With Their Celebrity Partner?

"Mostly yes,"Emma SlaterandBritt Stewartrevealed in a September 2025Instagramvideo, "though it's a collaboration with producers."What's the Process Like for Making the Costumes for Dancing With the Stars?

If you thought the quickstep was fast, just wait until you hear about the pace of the costume department."We meet with the set and lighting designers, dancers and talent and create a story [for each pair]," costume designerDaniela GschwendtnertoldTV Insiderback in 2017. "Then we sketch out ideas. We have five days, max, to make all the outfits. That’s half a day per costume, not including all the rhinestones. The fitting and trimming we do later. We have about 20 people in our department and then we have a separate tailor shop. It’s a big enterprise."In fact, costume designerSteven Norman Leesaid pairs usually try on their costumes for the first time just hours before showtime. And while the department "might use a pair of pants again for the boys," he continued, everything is generally made custom each week.As Gschwendtner added, "We do reuse things for group numbers or promo shoots, but not for the competition. We don’t reuse things unless there’s a specific reason to do so. We try to keep everybody fresh and new in something different every week, so it stays interesting."

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