Val Chmerkovskiy Benched From “Dancing With The Stars” Over “Fresh Prince” Post

Val Chmerkovskiy sat out the October 20 episode of “Dancing With the Stars” over a “Fresh Prince” post. His reference to Will Smith’s Oscars slap sparked backlash after a clash over his wife’s dance.

BBC Studios, which makes the show, barred the pro dancer for one week on October 17. He had taken aim at judge Carrie Ann Inaba. She had found fault with a dance by his wife, Jenna Johnson, and her partner, Harry Shum Jr.

“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” Val wrote in a TikTok post that he later deleted.

The line was seen as a nod to Smith’s 2022 Oscars slap of Chris Rock. Val said he meant the meme about keeping his wife’s name out of the discussion, not what else those words might imply.

His response did not spare him a week on the bench. Jenna Dewan, his partner on the show, danced with Alan Bersten instead. Bersten had already been knocked out of the contest with his own partner.

“The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,” BBC Studios said in a statement. The company said Val’s post fell short of the standards it expects from people who work on the show.

It all began with Harry and Johnson’s samba to Usher’s “Yeah!” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris during Super Bowl Night. Inaba wanted more samba steps and said there had been a lift. When Johnson asked about the call, the judge read out the rule.

Two other dancers had helped Harry leave the floor for a backflip. Johnson said that, in most lift calls, one of the main partners had lifted the other. Still, she accepted that Inaba had a job to do. The pair earned 33 out of 40.

Val said he was sorry and had reached out to her directly. After he was barred from the show, he said his bid to defend his wife had been a bad call.

“Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was,” he said.

Smith’s clash with Rock followed a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. The “Fresh Prince” remark also hit close to home for this cast. Alfonso Ribeiro hosts the show, while Tatyana Ali is in the race for the trophy.

Dewan and Bersten performed a Viennese waltz to The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” in honor of her mother, Nancy.