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'Dancing With the Stars' Pulls Val Chmerkovskiy After Carrie Ann Inaba Slap Joke

Variety • October 17, 2026 • general

Key Points:

Val Chmerkovskiy has been benched from next week's "Dancing With the Stars" episode after making an inappropriate social media joke about judge Carrie Ann Inaba, which violated the show's values and standards.
Chmerkovskiy apologized publicly and privately to Inaba, acknowledging his poor judgment in referencing a meme related to defending his wife Jenna Johnson, and expressed regret for causing distraction during an important week.
Jenna Dewan, Chmerkovskiy's dance partner, will continue competing and has been paired with Alan Bersten for Dedication Week, performing a Viennese waltz dedicated to her mother.
The incident follows ongoing challenges judge Carrie Ann Inaba faces with negative criticism and booing from the audience, which she has said impacts her emotionally during the competition.

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