Dancing With the Stars fans got a shock this week when Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended for one week after a since-deleted social media post that referenced Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars slap. The post came after judge Carrie Ann Inaba critiqued his wife Jenna Johnson’s samba lift with partner Harry Shum Jr. on Super Bowl Night, and producer BBC Studios called it inappropriate and against the show’s standards.
Chmerkovskiy won’t appear on next week’s Dedication Night, but he didn’t go quiet about it. He publicly apologized to Inaba and said he reached out to her directly, admitting he made a poor decision and that she didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of his bad judgment. The move sparked a bigger conversation about how reality shows handle conduct on and off the set.
The internet’s divided, and honestly, it’s easy to see both sides. Defending your spouse is one thing, but the slap reference is what pushed it over the edge. Do you think a one-week suspension is the right call, or is it an overreaction?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.