Val Chmerkovskiy Out of 'Dancing with the Stars' Next Week — the Social Media Post That Started It All and His Response

The ballroom pro has lost his place on next week's show, and the deleted message behind his suspension has fans arguing over just how far defending your wife should go.

Val Chmerkovskiy was benched from "Dancing with the Stars" on Saturday, October 17, 2026, leaving celebrity partner Jenna Dewan facing an unexpected switch before Tuesday's Dedication Night.

His trouble began after judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized his wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, but the words he chose afterward seemed to reference a violent viral moment at the Oscars! And now, he has finally addressed them.

The Ballroom Has Never Benched a Pro Like This

Five weeks into season 35, Val and his dancing partner had just collected nines across the board on Super Bowl Night. That is the kind of progress a "DWTS" partnership wants heading into an emotional tribute week. Instead, Jenna is preparing to perform without him.

According to ABC News, BBC Studios, which produces the competition, announced his removal from the next episode in unmistakably firm terms.

"The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable," the company said. "Val's social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show. As a result, he will not participate in next week's show."

It is the first suspension of a professional dancer in the show's history. For a competition where judges and dancers regularly disagree over scores, that is quite an escalation.

The argument had already spread well beyond the judges' desk. On Reddit, one commenter wanted a stronger consequence and was already considering who should take over his partnership.

"I think it’s completely unacceptable to threaten a colleague with violence for providing feedback and *doing their job*, even if you didn’t like or agree with said feedback. Not to mention, it was feedback that wasn’t even given to him. Personally, I think he should be removed from the rest of the competition as a consequence. I know it takes time to build trust with a partner but I think Alan or Brandon should step in for Val. Jenna is a professional and I have no doubt she’d be able to adapt quickly."

Others sounded more bewildered than interested in debating the punishment.

"I tried to rationalize in my mind anything else that this could mean but I can’t come up with anything....this is so inappropriate and disappointing🫠 [sic]," another commenter wrote. "He’s so weird now [sic]," someone else added, while another delivered a blunt verdict: "Incredibly inappropriate statement."

Still, Val had defenders who thought the response had gone much too far. Under an Instagram post, one fan was considerably more upset about losing him from Tuesday's broadcast. "I literally don’t want to watch if you aren’t on my screen Tuesday, the way no one can take a joke 😭 its going to ruin dwts [sic]," the fan wrote.

Another commenter drew a much firmer boundary: "CA might have been wrong in her criticism but promoting violence against women is unforgivable."

But to understand how the conversation got there, you have to go back to the critique that angered Val.

Carrie Ann's Lift Critique Became a Much Bigger Fight

During the Tuesday, October 13 episode, the couples performed to music by previous Super Bowl halftime entertainers, including Bad Bunny, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga. Jenna Johnson and her celebrity partner, Harry Shum Jr., danced a samba.

Carrie Ann, 58, took issue with a lift in their routine. Her critique included reading the definition of a lift, making her objection to the choreography quite explicit.

For anyone invested in a favorite couple's scores, a technical deduction can be maddening. For Jenna's husband, the exchange prompted a response that would cost him his own appearance the following week.

And according to Us Weekly, Jenna, a 32-year-old two-time Mirrorball champion, and Carrie Ann later cleared the air. Val's TikTok message, however, gave the disagreement a much more troubling association.

Although he deleted it, a preserved image shows a circular photograph of him taking a mirror selfie under a text bubble that read:

"You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night."

The reference appeared to invoke Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. Attached to a dispute involving criticism of his wife, it was easy to see why viewers connected the message to that confrontation.

Val would later say that he had not intended the implication people took from it. But his reference had already turned a scoring complaint into a question about how he was speaking about Carrie Ann.

One person responding on X was appalled by the possible professional fallout.

"This is not only scary and unacceptable, it’s EMBARRASSING for him! Think about how many people have worked on dwts and would call ‘Val’ their friend or former colleague, that now they won’t want to be associated with him because this is insane [sic]," the commenter wrote.

No matter his original intent, Val's post had acquired a life of its own, with consequences reaching directly into his dancing partner's preparations. And by Saturday, he had something considerably more serious to explain than why he disagreed with a judge.

Val Explains the Reference That Cost Him His Place

Val addressed his suspension on Instagram, beginning with a straightforward acknowledgment of his absence. "Hi everyone. As you may have seen in the news, I won’t be in the ballroom this week."

He then explained how an impulse to defend his wife had led him to use the reference.

"In a moment where my instinct was to defend my wife, I made a poor decision to reference a meme to ‘keep my wife’s name’ out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention."

He also addressed Carrie Ann directly within the statement. "Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was," he continued. His attention then shifted to the celebrity whose competition schedule had been disrupted.

"The last thing I want is to become a distraction from an important week or from the incredible work my dance partner Jenna Dewan is putting in. Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!"

As of the update, Carrie Ann, his wife, and his dancing partner had not further addressed his one-week suspension. Their attention remained on the upcoming routines.

Harry, meanwhile, had already offered a gentler reminder about the atmosphere around the competition. In an Instagram message on Friday, October 16, the 44-year-old actor encouraged more kindness while celebrating his fellow contestants.

"Reminder that this is a dance show. It is supposed to be joyous. People are suffering in the world already, so let’s celebrate each other with more love," he wrote.

Among those he praised was the "Step Up" dancer, whom he had known long before this season brought them into the same competition.

"I’ve admired you ever since I met you several decades ago," Harry wrote. "You are a powerhouse of a performer, but the thing I remember most is how nice and gracious you were to me when I was a young creative trying to figure this industry out."

He also celebrated the way she was handling the demands of the show. "Watching you take criticism with grace and just laying it all out on the dance floor each week, I go: ‘That’s the Jenna I know and love.’"

That affection makes her next performance particularly easy to root for. She has a deeply personal dedication to deliver, and a new professional partner helping her get there.

Jenna Dewan's Tribute to Her Mom Will Go Ahead

Alan Bersten is stepping in as Val's replacement for the October 20 live show. The 32-year-old pro had previously left the competition in Week 3 with celebrity partner Giada De Laurentiis.

Now he will return alongside Jenna, 45, for her Dedication Night routine. BBC Studios said she knew about the change and had continued to approach the process professionally and respectfully.

Her performance will be a Viennese waltz to "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers, dedicated to her mother, Nancy. The song and dedication were announced before the suspension, when she was still expected to perform with Val.

According to People, the ten remaining couples will each perform for someone special, with family and friends joining the stars on the dance floor as they did last year. The episode airs Tuesday, October 20, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Julia Stiles will honor her late "10 Things I Hate About You" costar Heath Ledger with a contemporary routine alongside Ezra Sosa. Their music is Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," giving that familiar song an emotional purpose for fans of the film.

Heath died on January 22, 2008, at 28, from an accidental prescription drug overdose.

Harry and Val's wife will perform a foxtrot to John Mayer's "Stop This Train," dedicated to Harry's wife, Shelby. After a week dominated by an argument over their previous routine, their next dance will center on someone he loves.

Several other contestants are honoring parents. Savannah Bananas baseball player Jackson Olson and Emma Slater will quickstep to Nat King Cole's "L-O-V-E" for his mother, Laura.

Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess have a contemporary routine to Ed Sheeran's "Supermarket Flowers," dedicated to mothers everywhere. Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold will perform a Viennese waltz to Billy Joel's "Piano Man" for the podcaster's father, Pete.

Two-time Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech will honor his mother, Bahar, through a contemporary dance with Daniella Karagach to Mon Rovia's "Bloodline." Olympian Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov will also perform contemporary, using Sia's "Breathe Me" for a dedication to Amber's sister, Brooke.

Maura Higgins is taking a different route, dedicating her paso doble with Mark Ballas to Ireland. Their music, "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by Dropkick Murphys, promises a rather different energy from the evening's waltzes.

Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik are preparing a Viennese waltz to Nancy Wilson's "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am." When the lineup was published on October 14, her dedication was being held for an October 15 reveal on "The Dancing with the Stars Official Podcast," hosted by Andy Richter.

There is still plenty of competition ahead for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. Season 35 has already visited "Mariah Carey Night," "Yacht Rock Night," and "Viral Hits Night," with "Horror Movie Night," "Disney Night," and "Grammy Night" still to come.

The semifinals are scheduled for Week 10, ahead of the November 24 finale. For now, though, the immediate challenge belongs to the dancers preparing to make Tuesday's tributes count.

Jenna Dewan will enter that ballroom with Alan beside her and her mother at the heart of her performance. Val, whose deleted message pulled attention away from the dancing, will be watching from outside it.