Everything Maks Chmerkovskiy and Val Chmerkovskiy Have Said About Leaving ‘Dancing With the Stars’ for Good

Credit: John Photography/Shutterstock

Everything Maks Chmerkovskiy and Val Chmerkovskiy Have Said About Leaving ‘Dancing With the Stars’ for Good

Bonded in brotherhood! Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Val Chmerkovskiy made a splash when they joined Dancing With the Stars in 2006 — and their talks about leaving the show over the years have fans just as intrigued. Maks, who is older than Val by six years, came in sixth place during his pro debut on season 2 in 2006. His partner was actress Tia Carrere. Val, for his part, appeared on the same season, but only as a troupe dancer. The younger Chmerkovskiy brother made his pro debut during season 13 when he was partnered with Elisabetta Canalis. Peta Murgatroyd’s husband, with whom she shares son Shai, went on to compete on 17 seasons on and off from 2006 to 2017. He won one mirrorball trophy during season 18 with Olympian Meryl Davis. Following his official exit from DWTS in 2018, Maks has toyed with the idea of slipping back on his dance shoes. However, he is also open to judging or hosting the ABC show down the line. “I would love to do that gig. That's my thing. That's my medium [and] that's what I know. I know exactly what I am looking at,” he told MassLive in April 2018 following a stint as a guest judge from 2013 to 2016. “I know exactly what I want it to be and exactly how to influence someone to do better in that genre. That's what a judge should do, in addition to adding to the production. If that's in my future, I would gladly accept it. If not, there are other opportunities. We are always moving forward.” [jwplayer gAw6IIwP-zhNYySv2] Two years later, Maks again sang the show’s praises for giving ballroom dancing such a big platform. “When the show is off, we’re not off from being heavy participants in [the] ballroom industry,” the former reality TV star exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2020. “For us, it’s a big deal that there’s a platform like Dancing With the Stars. … I keep saying the platform has been amazing. It’s great to see new faces especially representing ballroom dance.” Val, on the other hand, competed as a pro on 18 seasons of DWTS. He took home two mirrorball trophies — the first during season 20 with Rumer Willis and the second on season 23 with Laurie Hernandez — and found love with fellow pro Jenna Johnson, whom he married in 2019. For years, Val insisted that he was happy being a dancer on the show and didn’t have plans to switch up his role on the series. In fact, he exclusively told Us in July 2021 that while he thinks he’d “kill it” as the show’s host, he would rather stick to what he knows. “I am very much content with continuing to dance and to perform on Dancing With the Stars, continue to teach. I just want a good partner,” he told Us at the time. However, Val teased the possible end of his pro career following his elimination from season 30 in November 2021. He then returned for season 31, which premiered in fall 2022. Scroll down to see everything that Maks and Val have said about leaving DWTS over the years:

Credit: John Photography/Shutterstock

Everything Maks Chmerkovskiy and Val Chmerkovskiy Have Said About Leaving ‘Dancing With the Stars’ for Good

Bonded in brotherhood! Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Val Chmerkovskiy made a splash when they joined Dancing With the Stars in 2006 — and their talks about leaving the show over the years have fans just as intrigued. Maks, who is older than Val by six years, came in sixth place during his pro debut on season 2 in 2006. His partner was actress Tia Carrere. Val, for his part, appeared on the same season, but only as a troupe dancer. The younger Chmerkovskiy brother made his pro debut during season 13 when he was partnered with Elisabetta Canalis. Peta Murgatroyd’s husband, with whom she shares son Shai, went on to compete on 17 seasons on and off from 2006 to 2017. He won one mirrorball trophy during season 18 with Olympian Meryl Davis. Following his official exit from DWTS in 2018, Maks has toyed with the idea of slipping back on his dance shoes. However, he is also open to judging or hosting the ABC show down the line. “I would love to do that gig. That's my thing. That's my medium [and] that's what I know. I know exactly what I am looking at,” he told MassLive in April 2018 following a stint as a guest judge from 2013 to 2016. “I know exactly what I want it to be and exactly how to influence someone to do better in that genre. That's what a judge should do, in addition to adding to the production. If that's in my future, I would gladly accept it. If not, there are other opportunities. We are always moving forward.” [jwplayer gAw6IIwP-zhNYySv2] Two years later, Maks again sang the show’s praises for giving ballroom dancing such a big platform. “When the show is off, we’re not off from being heavy participants in [the] ballroom industry,” the former reality TV star exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2020. “For us, it’s a big deal that there’s a platform like Dancing With the Stars. … I keep saying the platform has been amazing. It’s great to see new faces especially representing ballroom dance.” Val, on the other hand, competed as a pro on 18 seasons of DWTS. He took home two mirrorball trophies — the first during season 20 with Rumer Willis and the second on season 23 with Laurie Hernandez — and found love with fellow pro Jenna Johnson, whom he married in 2019. For years, Val insisted that he was happy being a dancer on the show and didn’t have plans to switch up his role on the series. In fact, he exclusively told Us in July 2021 that while he thinks he’d “kill it” as the show’s host, he would rather stick to what he knows. “I am very much content with continuing to dance and to perform on Dancing With the Stars, continue to teach. I just want a good partner,” he told Us at the time. However, Val teased the possible end of his pro career following his elimination from season 30 in November 2021. He then returned for season 31, which premiered in fall 2022. Scroll down to see everything that Maks and Val have said about leaving DWTS over the years:

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Ready for Other Opportunities

Maks appeared on and off the hit series from seasons 2 through 15. In 2013, he announced his choice to step back from competition ahead of season 16.

"I just want to set the record straight to all of my amazing fans that I will unfortunately not be returning for this season of Dancing With the Stars," he said in a statement in February of that year. "I've been a pro dancer on the show for about seven years now and am eager to explore other opportunities that have been made possible because of Dancing With the Stars. I'm going to take this time to dive into producing and acting, while fulfilling my sponsorship obligations."

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Dad on Duty

“I’m telling you right now I have zero interest in coming back as a dancer [next season],” Maks said during an October 2016 appearance on Bravo’s Daily Dish following season 23. “I’m going to have a newborn baby. I have zero want to do this. I promise you that.”

The athlete, who competed on season 18 before taking a break for seasons 19 through 22, revealed that the impending arrival of his and Murgatroyd’s first child was enough to keep him from the ballroom.

“The baby comes in January and then a month and a half later I would have to be in L.A. to start training with somebody else,” he continued. “Trust me, I really don’t care how this comes across, but there’s no money on the planet that can replace me missing out the three, four, five months of my baby’s life. Zero chance.”

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Not 100 Percent

Maks returned to the ballroom for seasons 23 through 25, before announcing his final exit from the show in April 2018.

“Listen, I love the show, but I have other interests at the moment. I would have loved to judge and transition into that, but it's not my call. It's not up to me,” he told MassLive at the time when asked if he’d return to the show in some capacity. “Everything that is up to me, I do at 100 percent and then give it my all. I just don't think I can do the show as a professional dancer at 100 percent and give it my all anymore. I am at a different point in my life.”

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All Things Come to an End

“I think there’s a reason things have to come to an end,” Maks exclusively told Us in December 2018, after announcing his permanent departure earlier that year. “I don’t understand why it has to be sad. I appreciate it and I would love to keep those connections and relationships with those people, so we’re trying and working on things.”

The Ukraine native, who welcomed his son Shai in 2017, noted that he chose to “prioritize” his loved ones and the “future” of his when he exited. “It’s no disrespect to any fan out there that’s like, ‘How could you?’” he added.

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

'DWTS' Mascot

“I think I’m just going to be the sideline mascot bringing babies to see their parents do their thing,” Maks exclusively told Us in May 2020 about his future with DWTS. “I’ll be that person.”

The Burn the Floor Broadway dancer added: “We’ve had an incredible wave of new people that are now representing the same way, and probably better. This is exciting. Some changes are happening to the show [and] I just want it to stick around. So, if I need to support it on the side and be that mascot, I’ll do it.”

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We’re Family

Val exclusively told Us in May 2020 that he had no plans to leave the hit competition series. “It’s family. It’s family beyond only the talent you see on screen. There’s a lot of people behind screen that we have built a relationship with and we want to see the show continue to grow and be successful,” he said at the time. “I personally still want to serve the show. How much longer, I don’t know. If they continue to call me back, I am more than willing to be a part of it and continue to serve my presence on the show.”

Credit: ABC/Adrienne Raquel

Ready to Host?

Following DWTS hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews firing in July 2020, Maks exclusively told Us that he’d “love” to take the job.

“I’d fill any shoes on that show,” he said in July 2021 after Tyra Banks took over the hosting duties beginning with season 29, which premiered in September 2020. “I personally would love an opportunity to step into any shoes on the production side or in front of camera. I don’t really necessarily have the passion of leading someone through this incredibly grueling process of three months of getting to the end. I may not have that, but I do have the passion of contributing to dancing, being on television and sticking around.”

Credit: ABC/Maarten de Boer

Happy Where He’s At

The younger Chmerkovskiy brother told Us in July 2021 that he was good as a pro and had no aspirations to host DWTS in the future — unlike Maks.

“I like the role that I’m in. I like what I’m doing. I’m about to host 19 cities on a tour on my own terms,” Val said. “We have 12-hour days where my whole body’s exhausted. I’m exhausted, and I love every single ache and just every single part of it. That’s when I realized, I truly am in Zen. This is what I meant to do. This is what I love to do.”

Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless

No Season 31?

After competing with Olivia Jade Giannulli on season 30 of the ABC show, Val hinted that it may be time to hang up his dancing shoes.

“I’ve always been very clear about coming back on the show. I love the show. I love being on it. I am so grateful for the opportunity. Is this my last season? Probably,” the Maks & Val Live 2020: Motion Pictures Tour star told Entertainment Tonight in November 2021. “I have no regrets about my tenure on the show. I have no regrets about the season. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to end it with.”

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A True Love for Dance

"I’m going to promote dance and whether it’s at Dance With Me or a local dance studio, go and dance. That’s why I’m passionate about the show, whether the show moves on with me or without me, which I’m not saying it’s going to move on without me,” Val said during “The Bellas Podcast” in November 2021. “I’m saying I love the show, genuinely, but I want to see it [continue] for a long time. It’s good for dance, it’s good for my passion, it’s good for my business. It’s good for life! It’s a place that gave Olivia Jade a chance to flip the narrative. It’s a place that’s a lot of fun and does a lot of magical things very randomly, completely out of the blue."

He added, "I don’t think anyone ever imagined that a show about celebrities partnering up with mostly Russian and Mormon ballroom dancers would be a huge hit but it is. For some reason, maybe two people coming together and moving as one, it's something that’s powerful beyond the dance floor and that’s really what I want to champion. So that’s what I’m doing. That’s what I'm going to do in many different ways — whether it’s writing a script about it, whether it’s going and teaching at our studios, whether it’s going on convention [tours] and teaching kids around the country, I’m just going to continue to preach the gospel of dance."