Dancing With the Stars season 35 contestant Tatyana Ali subtly reacted to pro Val Chmerkovskiy referencing the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in a controversial comment.
In a Tuesday, October 20, video, Ali, 47, took to TikTok to share why chose to honor her late Fresh Prince of Bel-Air costar James Avery on DWTS’ Dedication Night. For the performance, Ali is set to take the ballroom floor with partner Jan Ravnik and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum and Alfonso Ribeiro for a Viennese waltz to “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” by Nancy Wilson.
“I’m really excited about this episode. I’m excited that Alfonso is dancing with me. I’m so excited to dance with him. He’s got a whole other job. So I’m really honored that he said yes,” Ali shared in the clip, referring to Riberio’s role as a DWTS cohost with Julianne Hough.
Ali then reflected on Avery being a “father figure” in many people’s lives and became emotional while she recalled his words of wisdom through the years. (Avery died in 2013 at age 68.)
In the comments section, users expressed their support for Ali and their appreciation for the show.
“This is why I’m so mad Val used James legacy, your legacy, your work to threaten Carrie Ann. I love the show and I’m so happy I grew up with James Avery on my screen,” one user wrote, which Ali liked.
Days before Dedication Night, controversy arose when Chmerkovskiy defended wife Jenna Johnson on social media after judge Carrie Ann Inaba critiqued her routine for featuring an illegal lift. In his since-deleted post, Chmerkovskiy appeared to reference Will Smith infamously slapping host Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars and telling the comedian to “keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth.”
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” Chmerkovskiy wrote, seemingly referring to Smith’s role in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Inaba later responded to the comment on Instagram, writing, “So this is what we are doing now?”
News later broke that Chmerkovskiy would be facing a suspension on Dedication Night, with Alan Bersten filling his place to perform a Viennese waltz with partner Jenna Dewan. (People confirmed that Chmerkovskiy’s suspension was the result of the apology he posted and not the result of an HR complaint filed by Inaba over the controversial remark.)
Chmerkovskiy, for his part, issued a statement on the decision.
“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 wrote in a statement shared with Us. “Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.”
He 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. Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
