'DWTS' dancer Val Chmerkovskiy benched after 'inappropriate' social media post

Sat, October 17, 2026 at 10:35 PM UTC

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"Dancing with the Stars" is benching pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy after an "inappropriate" social media post about judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

"The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable," BBC Studios, which produces the show, said in a statement on Saturday. "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 Tuesday's themed Super Bowl Night, Chmerkovskiy took to TikTok and fired back at comments Inaba had made, in which the judge critiqued pro dancer Jenna Johnson for having a lift in her routine, even reading the definition of a lift.

Christopher Willard/Disney - PHOTO: Val Chmerkovskiy and and his dance partner Jenna Dewan are shown on the set of "Dancing With The Stars," Oct. 13, 2026.

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Jenna Johnson is married to Chmerkovskiy.

Chmerkovskiy's post, which has been deleted, reportedly appeared to reference Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, according to multiple entertainment news outlets.

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"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," Chmerkovskiy said in a later post on social media. "Carrie Ann certainly didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was."

Christopher Willard/Disney - PHOTO: Carrie Ann Inaba is shown on the set of "Dancing With The Stars," on Oct. 13, 2026.

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Chmerkovskiy was partnered with Jenna Dewan, having just earned all nines from the judges during Week 5's themed Super Bowl Night.

Instead, next week Dewan will dance with pro dancer Alan Bersten, who was eliminated in Week 3, for this Tuesday's Dedication Night.

BBC Studios said that Dewan is aware of the changes and has continued to be professional and respectful of the process.

"Dancing with the Stars" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming on Disney+. Episodes stream the next day on Hulu.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News, Disney+ and Hulu.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”