Val Chmerkovskiy wasted no time addressing the “chaos” of his one-week suspension as he returned to “Dancing With the Stars” to rejoin celebrity partner Jenna Dewan for Tuesday’s “Horror Movie Night.”
“We are back together. I am so sorry for all the chaos. You did not sign up for that, and I feel awful,” he told the “Step Up” actress in their intro package, referencing his inappropriate social media behavior directed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba that got him banned from the ballroom for a week.
“I forgive you,” Dewan told him, with them embracing in a hug. “I missed you.”
Dewan and Chmerkovskiy performed an Argentine tango to a cover version of the song “Uninvited” by Damned Anthem and Kendra Dantes, inspired by the 2007 zombie film “28 Weeks Later.”
They earned a 37/40 from the judges, bringing their total — combined with last week’s score — to a 74/80.
Last week, Dewan danced with Alan Bersten in place of Chmerkovskiy, scoring a 37/40 for their Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers during an emotional “Dedication Night” performance
The routine — which judge Carrie Ann Inaba called the “ultimate breakthrough” for the “Step Up” actress — was dedicated to Dewan’s mother, Nancy, who joined her daughter and Bersten on the dance floor.
On Oct. 17, Chmerkovskiy was suspended from “DWTS” after sharing a controversial social media post in which he referenced Will Smith’s famous Oscars slap.
The dancer made the post in an attempt to defend his wife, fellow “DWTS” pro Jenna Johnson, from harsh criticism given to her by Inaba the previous week.
Inaba said that Johnson had included an “illegal” lift when performing the samba with partner Harry Shum Jr. — even going so far as to read off the definition from a piece of paper.
The exchange was so intense that it reportedly left Johnson in tears.
After the fact, Chmerkovskiy took to his TikTok to share a status that read, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” in reference to Smith’s 2022 Oscars incident, when he slapped comedian Chris Rockand demanded that he keep his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s name out of his mouth.
He also responded to a video on TikTokabout Inaba’s harsh critique, writing, “Puts some respect on her name. Shes trippin talking to her like that.”
Inaba later took to Instagram to thank Page Six for alerting her to the situation, writing atop a screenshot of the coverage, “So this is what we are doing now?”
Chmerkovskiy’s comments upset many in the “DWTS” fandom, and he was subsequently suspended for one week.
“The well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,’” read a statement BBC Studios, per Deadline.
“Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show,” their statement continued. “As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”
Chmerkovskiy, who had apologized to Inaba, responded to the suspension in a statement obtained by Page Six at the time.
“As you may have seen in the news, I won’t be in the ballroom this week,” he wrote.
The dancer said that he “made a poor decision to reference a meme … without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never [his] intention.”
“Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was,” his statement continued.
He also said that he accepted his suspension, as he didn’t want to “become a distraction” on “Dedication Night,” an important milestone on the show.
The show addressed Chmerkovskiy’s absence at the top of last week’s episode, and Chmerkovskiy thanked Bersten for “stepping in and doing such an amazing job” with Dewan before officially rejoining her in rehearsals for “Horror Movie Night.”
Inaba broke her silence on the situation Tuesday, noting that she had not addressed the controversy out of “professional courtesy” of those still competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
The judge also said that she and Johnson had “hugged it out,” saying “two women worked through the moment.”
New episodes of “DWTS” air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC and Disney+, and stream on Hulu the following day.
For more of Page Six’s “Dancing With the Stars” coverage, click here.
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