Dancing With the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy clarified why he bit Jenna Dewan‘s neck for so long during their Horror Movie Night performance.
“I had a blood patch in my pocket and I couldn’t get it out in time,” Chmerkovskiy, 40, explained to Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, October 27. “I usually have blood gushing out.”
Dewan, meanwhile, revealed she “didn’t actually know that” until the interview. Chmerkovskiy joked that he attempted to hide the mistake, adding, “I was like, ‘I am going to get some real blood.'”
Tuesday’s performance marked Chmerkovskiy’s return to the ballroom after a one-week suspension. His absence came after judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized his wife, Jenna Johnson, for including an illegal lift in her Super Bowl Night performance with Harry Shum Jr. earlier this month.
While Johnson, 32, said she respected Inaba’s feedback, Chmerkovskiy took to social media to defend his wife by sharing a meme with a reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.
After some fans questioned whether Chmerkovskiy’s post threatened violence against Inaba, 58, the pro dancer released a statement.
“I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post,” he wrote via his Instagram Story on October 15. “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. I should never have made the reference that I did and I deeply regret it. 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.”
Chmerkovskiy continued, “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 later confirmed that Chmerkovskiy would be benched from the show for one week. (Dewan, 45, performed with Alan Bersten instead and scored her first 10 of the season from Inaba.)
Chmerkovskiy apologized to Dewan — and Inaba — once he returned.
“We are back together,” he said in rehearsal footage shown during Tuesday’s broadcast. “I am so sorry for all the chaos. You did not sign up for that, and I feel awful.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
