Val Chmerkovskiy Back on Dancing With the Stars Season 35 With Jenna Dewan

Key Points:

• Val Chmerkovskiy has returned to Dancing With the Stars season 35 after a one-episode suspension due to an inappropriate social media post referencing Will Smith’s Oscars slap while defending his wife, Jenna Johnson.
• Chmerkovskiy missed the Dedication Night episode, during which his partner Jenna Dewan performed with Alan Bersten, but he resumed rehearsals and will participate in the upcoming horror-themed episode and the rest of the season.
• The suspension was announced by BBC Studios, citing that Chmerkovskiy’s post did not align with the show’s values, emphasizing the importance of the well-being of everyone involved in the production.
• The controversy originated from Chmerkovskiy’s TikTok Story comment “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” made after judge Carrie Ann Inaba critiqued Johnson’s performance, which Inaba publicly addressed on Instagram.
• Chmerkovskiy issued a public apology to Inaba, acknowledging his poor judgment in referencing the meme and expressing regret for involving her in the controversy, emphasizing that his intention was to defend his wife, not to offend anyone.