During the live episode of Dancing with the Stars on Tuesday, October 20, co-host Alfonso Ribeiro kicked off the show by addressing Val Chmerkovskiy’s absence. He pointed out that Alan Bersten was dancing with Jenna Dewan, and then added, ‘Val is not with us this week.’ That’s the straightforward seven-word explanation he gave for why Chmerkovskiy wasn’t in the ballroom.
Chmerkovskiy, a longtime pro dancer on the show, was suspended after he made a social media post that referenced Will Smith’s Oscars slap from 2022. The comment was aimed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba, following her critique of his wife Jenna Johnson’s performance from the previous week. Chmerkovskiy later took to Instagram to apologize, admitting it was a poor decision and that he never intended to cause harm. He expressed regret and said he’d be cheering everyone on from home.
In Chmerkovskiy’s place, Alan Bersten stepped in to partner with Jenna Dewan. They performed a Viennese waltz to ‘Unchained Melody,’ dedicated to Dewan’s mother. The show’s producers, BBC Studios, released a statement calling the original post inappropriate and emphasizing that the well-being of the cast and crew is a priority.
Dancing with the Stars continues to air live Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.
