Dancing With the Stars pros Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy want the best for their son, Rome — but the couple isn’t in agreement on whether that should be on or off the dance floor.
“I don’t know [if we’re going to put him in dance classes],” Johnson, 29, told Us Weekly on Tuesday, October 3, following DWTS Latin Night. “Val says yes. I’m a little bit indifferent.”
Johnson told Us that she started dancing when she was only 3 years old but wants her son to “do whatever he’s passionate about.”
“If he loves [dance], I’ll support it, of course,” she added. “But I don’t want him to feel pressured just to do it because mom and dad do it.”
Johnson’s partner, Tyson Beckford, chimed in, adding that Rome is “going to be a great dancer” because of who his parents are.
During his own chat with Us, Chmerkovskiy, 37, spoke about how becoming a father has made everything in his life “much more fulfilling.”
“[Fatherhood] gives it more purpose,” he added. “Even this process makes me even more happy because I get to now share it with him. Even though he might not remember a lot of it, the fact that we get to bring him on set, the fact that he gets to see his dad work hard, sweat, try do things that are fun and impressive … it gives you a reason to want to work hard.”
Johnson and Chmerkovskiy — who got married in 2019 — welcomed Rome in January.
“Our world is forever changed,” Johnson captioned her and Chmerkovskiy’s birth announcement, which featured a photo of the first-time parents holding their newborn’s hand.
Johnson missed out on DWTS season 31, which aired in 2022, due to her pregnancy. Now, she’s back, and Chmerkovskiy teased that she’s his biggest competitor.
“Jen, you know, I got rid of my stiffest competition by impregnating her,” Chmerkovskiy joked to Us during a separate interview in May. “I don’t know if I could do it two seasons in a row, but she is so inspired and she’s yearning to be back on Dancing With the Stars, so I’m excited to see what she creates next season.”
Ahead of the DWTS season 32 premiere last month, Chmerkovskiy also confessed to Us that sometimes it’s “challenging” to work alongside his life partner.
“We support each other, but we kind of vent to one another as well,” he explained. “It’s like you are living the stress of two couples because, obviously, we could have a great night and I’ll be very happy, but if she and [Tyson] have a bad night, it’s going to be a tough position to be celebrating in.”
With reporting by Hannah Kahn
