Val Chmerkovskiy Apologizes to Carrie Ann Inaba Over Will Smith Slap Reference on DWTS

Dancing with the Stars just delivered its messiest moment of the season, and it did not happen on the dance floor. Pro Val Chmerkovskiy posted a since-deleted TikTok referencing Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars slap after judge Carrie Ann Inaba critiqued his wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, during“Super Bowl Night.”The post read,“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,”and it spread fast.

Inaba responded on social media with a pointed,“So this is what we are doing now?”Within a day, Chmerkovskiy posted a public apology, writing that he was sorry“from the bottom of my heart.”Fans are divided on what the post actually meant. Some say it was a clear threat, while others argue he was quoting Smith’s famous“keep my wife’s name out of your mouth”line from that night, not the slap itself.

The bigger picture? This is really about how judges and pros navigate criticism when family is involved, and how a four-year-old Oscars moment still works as the internet’s favorite shorthand for being furious. So where do you land: harmless joke, or did he go too far? Sound off in the comments and let us know.