“Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba broke her silence Tuesday on the one-week suspension of pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy, saying she wants to move past the dispute and urging producers to add a “new lift rule” next season. Inaba said in an Instagram post that she stayed quiet out of professional courtesy to couples still competing, and that show standards keep judges and dancers separated. She said she and Chmerkovskiy “were always okay.”
The dispute began after the Oct. 13 episode. Inaba criticized a lift performed by pro Jenna Johnson, a move ballroom competitions strongly discourage. Johnson is Chmerkovskiy’s wife. Chmerkovskiy then posted on social media about Inaba, and ABC pulled him from the Oct. 20 Dedication Night episode, where he would have danced with partner Jenna Dewan. The show’s producer, BBC Studios, said the well-being of everyone on the production is non-negotiable. The studio called the post inappropriate and said it did not reflect the values expected of anyone connected with the show.
Chmerkovskiy apologized quickly. He said on Instagram that he reached out to Inaba, and he apologized “from the bottom of my heart.” He later added that Inaba did not deserve to be caught in the middle of his bad judgment. He also apologized to Dewan for the chaos. Speculation spread about how the suspension came about. E! News reported that it did not follow an HR complaint from Inaba.
Inaba’s call for a lift rule shifts the discussion from the personal to the competitive. Lifts are a staple of the show’s choreography, yet judges and pros have clashed over how the show applies ballroom standards. Inaba said the show, its casting and its audience have changed greatly, an argument for rules that match the modern format. The show has not said whether it will adopt one. Deadline has also reported that Inaba and Chmerkovskiy hugged it out after the suspension drama. The ballroom, by that account, has returned to routine, and the season continues with its remaining couples.
