One Mirrorball Trophy is apparently enough for ballroom bad boy Maksim Chmerkovskiy. The former Dancing With the Stars pro hoofer told Glamour that he’s really, really done with ABC’s dancing competition.
When asked by the mag if he’d ever return to the glitzy show, Chermkovskiy, who has also guest judged, replied, “Definitely not. You have to walk away when the time is right, and the time was right.”
The 35-year-old last competed in season 18 last year alongside Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis, and won. It was his first Mirrorball Trophy in his 14 seasons competing on the show. Chmerkovskiy was known for feuding with the judges, often arguing with the panel when he disagreed with their comments about his partners’ performances. He even told former co-host Brooke Burke-Charvet after a particularly heated exchange with the judges in season 13, “This is my show. I helped make it what it is.”
Chmerkovskiy went on to explain that he believes “the change of guard is necessary.” Longtime pros Cheryl Burke and Karina Smirnoff have also departed the show since. He also hinted that there may be another big exit coming up: “I think this might be one of the last times we see Derek [Hough].”
Hough, whose sister Julianne used to be a show pro and is now on the judging panel, had previously said that season 15 would be his last, but returned in season 17. He was paired with Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin this season, and noted to Glamour after their week nine ouster that he has one more season on his contract.
As for what’s next for Chmerkovskiy, whose younger brother Valentin won the Mirrorball Trophy with partner Rumer Willis on Tuesday night, he’d like to give acting a try.
“[Acting] gives me a completely different dimension. I respect it,” he said, noting that he’s taken lessons. “I’m fascinated by the tools that acting gives you. I feel like it makes sense to do something creative.”
