Professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from Dancing With the Stars after posting a social media comment that appeared to reference Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.
The controversy began when judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized Chmerkovskiy’s wife, professional dancer Jenna Johnson, for including a lift in her routine with Harry Shum Junior during the October 13th episode.
Chmerkovskiy responded with a since-deleted post suggesting that Smith’s infamous Oscars confrontation nearly happened in the ballroom.
BBC Studios, which produces the competition, called the post inappropriate and announced Saturday that Chmerkovskiy would miss the October 20th episode.
Chmerkovskiy apologized, saying he made a poor decision while defending his wife and never intended to imply violence against Inaba.
Professional dancer Alan Bersten will replace Chmerkovskiy as actress Jenna Dewan‘s partner for the upcoming Dedication Night episode. (ABC News)