Val Chmerkovskiy offered a glimpse at how he has been spending his time away from the ballroom after being benched from Dancing With the Stars for one week.
Chmerkovskiy, 40, shared photos of himself at a farm with his and Jenna Johnson’s 3-year-old son, Rome, via his Instagram Story on Monday, October 19. The father-son duo were seen feeding animals on the pro dancer’s day off.
News broke on Saturday, October 17, that Chmerkovskiy wouldn’t be performing with Jenna Dewan on Dedication Night after his controversial response to judge Carrie Ann Inaba‘s criticism of his wife’s samba with Harry Shum Jr. during Super Bowl Night.
“A lift is — I just need to say it — any movement during which one of the dancers has both feet off the floor at the same time with the assistance or support of their partner,” Inaba, 58, said on the October 13 episode after calling out an illegal move in the routine. “Yeah. Lift.”
Johnson, who seemed shocked by the note, later clarified that she “would never do something intentionally” with her performance that “would break the rules.”
“You know what, it’s hard, because usually when someone’s called out for a lift, it’s when your partner lifts you,” she told Extra after the show. “So I was definitely unaware of, like, two guys that weren’t myself rolling back Harry and lifting him. But I absolutely hear Carrie Ann.”
Johnson added: “She’s a judge for a reason. She’s gonna do her job, I’m gonna do mine. I’m gonna take the feedback.”
Chmerkovskiy, for his part, raised eyebrows after seemingly making a reference to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” he wrote in a since-deleted social media post.
Chmerkovskiy quickly issued an apology after his post received backlash, writing via Instagram, “I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post. 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 our internal DWTS family.”
He added: “I recognize that I am in a fortunate position to have a platform and to be a role model to some, and I need to treat that with more care by actively pausing to think before I post to ensure what I am sharing aligns with who I am, and who I want to be for you all. I am truly sorry to Carrie Ann, and everyone I hurt with my careless post. I will do better moving forward. ❤️.”
A spokesperson for BBC Studios, which produces DWTS, later confirmed that Chmerkovskiy would not perform during the Tuesday, October 20, episode. (Alan Bersten will dance with Dewan in Chmerkovskiy’s absence.)
“The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing With the Stars is non-negotiable,” read a statement to Us. “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.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
