r/entertainment • u/mcfw31 • 7h ago
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pulls Val Chmerkovskiy After ‘Inappropriate’ Carrie Ann Inaba Slap Joke: ‘The Well-Being’ of Our Staff Is ‘Non-Negotiable’
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/dancing-with-the-stars-pulls-val-chmerkovskiy-carrie-ann-inaba-slap-joke-1236915031/312
u/ceilingsfann 7h ago
Lol for one week? Yeah I’m sure they really care about the safety of their staff 🙄
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u/SmokedOkie 7h ago
It's their "We had to take action to look good legally"
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u/_TheTurtleBox_ 2m ago
Keep in mind they did not take action against the troop dancer who was caught harassing a female fan on Tiktok nor did they take action when Val said the N word a bunch like 5 years ago, lmao.
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u/NZafe 5h ago
It was a very stupid and inappropriate joke that he should never have made and should be reprimanded for.
But it wasn’t a threat and he never would have actually done anything. That cast and crew have been working together for over a decade, they know each other very well and enough to know that this was just a very poor “joke”.
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u/ceilingsfann 5h ago
I would not feel safe around any man who thinks it’s funny to joke about violence against women.
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u/NZafe 3h ago
Whether or not you believe that Val did or didn’t intend the full implication of the phrase and only meant the “defending my wife” part of it is up to personal interpretation and your belief of his apology.
He claims that it was a spur of the moment joke with poor reflection of the full meaning of what he was saying and never intended to insinuate any kind of physical violence nor did he intend to make a joke about physical violence towards women.
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u/Some-Profession-1373 5h ago
Why just women?
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u/ceilingsfann 4h ago
Because that’s the situation at hand?
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u/Some-Profession-1373 4h ago
It’s a weird way to phrase it, you could’ve just said violence is bad. It has nothing to do with her gender.
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u/ceilingsfann 3h ago
lol you’re naive if you think this has nothing to do with gender
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u/Some-Profession-1373 2h ago
It doesn’t. Did Will Smith actually smacking Chris Rock have anything to do with gender?
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u/Better_March5308 52m ago
Men's rights activists are insufferable.
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u/Some-Profession-1373 45m ago edited 40m ago
That doesn’t answer my question, but I’m not surprised.
Please let me know how a joke about slapping a judge is worse than an actual event where someone was slapped and nobody did anything.
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u/corndogs102 6h ago
No one’s mentioning how there’s literally two fresh prince of bel air actors on the show currently as well
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u/CheezeLoueez 4h ago
And how he used a selfie with his cornrows when he made his post.... which seems pretty racially charged.. I'd feel a certain way if I were Alfonso or Tatyana..
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u/icedmatcha_latte 2h ago
you know what, i didn’t note that before, but now I certainly do.
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u/Whatthefuckballs69 1h ago
Wait- please- I missed it all.
Because I don’t watch the show and get my info from Reddit.Whats the tea?•
u/icedmatcha_latte 45m ago
before this controversy, he literally had one the week prior where he cornrowed his hair (by a black stylist) and he got backlash for cultural appropriation. He basically brushed it off but did not have the cornrows for the actual live show.
fast forward to this controversy where he said he was about to pull a “fresh prince” and with that post, he used a picture of him in the cornrows, that were already taken out at that point.
Basically, it implies that getting “fresh prince” (played by a black actor, with the connotation of getting violent (aka the clap) with Carrie Ann (a judge on the show) and using a “black hairstyle” to emphasize his point.
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u/Accomplished-Bid-373 2h ago
I’m not sure why anyone would defend Val by saying he meant the “keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth” part. How is that not wildly inappropriate by itself? I’m trying to imagine saying that to a coworker or even implying it and not getting fired. Especially when that coworker’s job is to speak to my spouse and give them critiques. And he posted it while displaying a hairdo that he had already received censure for, but I guess he felt like a tough guy with his cornrows. Man! They’re letting him off lightly if you ask me.
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u/katsock 6h ago edited 6h ago
I think this is so stupid and when I first heard about Vals post being taken down, I thought it was just for engagement and more eyes on the show.
This is a dumb meme, and one that’s been made time and time again but STILL ends with someone striking someone else. And all parties are literally at work. That shit doesn’t fly.
That being said, I think Carrie Ann was right to check a pro that was pushing back on her ruling of actual rules. I don’t think I can name a single judged or refereed sport that wouldn’t see the actual authority double down when their judgement is being questioned. It’s literally their job.
In other fields people are ejected from the competition or game entirely. Getting the rule read out-load is so minor.
eta: in fact I just talked myself into Val being an absolute moron here.
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6h ago
[deleted]
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u/GenneyaK 5h ago
It’s a reality show that uses the rule guides from dance sport which is the competitive version of ballroom dance.
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5h ago
[deleted]
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u/GenneyaK 5h ago
I agree I am just commenting on the fact that the rules the judges are using are from the real competitive ballroom world
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u/mcfw31 7h ago
“Dancing With the Stars” is benching Val Chmerkovskiy after his recent joke about judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
“The well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is non-negotiable. Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show,” BBC Studios said in a statement on Saturday. “As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”
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u/striker3955 7h ago
Does this mean someone else will be partnered with Jenna Dewan for the week?
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u/mcfw31 7h ago
Alan Bersten!
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u/MC_chrome 6h ago
I’ve grown to really like Alan, after his run with Ilona Maher. Honestly I think he should have been paired with Jenna from the beginning
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u/MidnightFrog4 6h ago
I hate how the article calls it “a joke.” He’s not a comedian and it’s not an SNL monologue, so how anyone can say it’s a joke is beyond me.
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u/mmlovin 5h ago edited 5h ago
I mean, even if a comedian said it, it wouldn’t be funny. It might be if Will Smith faced some fucking consequences.
But the whole thing just highlighted the message that celebrities & rich people can literally commit assault & battery on live TV in front of hundreds of people sitting feet away, while being watched by millions of viewers. The fact that no one got their ass up & got on stage is mind boggling. The stage is literally right in front of the first tables. No one from security, no one from backstage, fucking no one did a thing or said a goddamn word. & then he got a fucking AWARD & STANDING OVATION.
& I’m pretty sure within hours the LAPD said he wouldn’t face charges cause supposedly Chris Rock didn’t want him to. Well fuck what Chris Rock wants, it’s not UP TO HIM. It is never up to the victim, they don’t press charges. The people of California do, which is who the DA represents. The DA wouldn’t need his help at all. So he actually enforced the message that celebrities get away with shit. What would have happened to Will? He would have been on probation for a year maybe. Some fines & anger management? Really? He didn’t deserve even that?
So yah, that event can never be funny in any context. It’s really bad cause he said it about a woman, implying he could hit her & get away with it. Which is probably true.
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u/dankblonde 7h ago
Oh I am genuinely surprised that they are even sitting him a week. He should be off the season entirely in my opinion for his behaviors but that is up to them I guess.
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u/fortheloveofghosts 6h ago
What did he say?
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u/HumanAbides 6h ago
Afterward, Chmerkovskiy posted to his TikTok story, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” seemingly referencing Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, after saying, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”
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u/unclepaisan 6h ago
If only there were some way to find out. An article of some kind, perhaps, which gives broader context behind the headline.
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u/checkingin2here 7h ago
His "Joke" 🙄 Way to minimize it, Variety. "Post" would have been sufficient. "Comment," sure. "Joke?" Nah.
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u/FearsomeForehand 6h ago edited 3h ago
Every time a white person says something completely out of line or racist, instead of an apology or admission of wrongdoing: “iT wAs JuSt a jOkE!”
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u/Sic39 6h ago
Are the white people in the room with you now?
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u/AppleAtrocity 3h ago
Yes? It's Val in this case since he is a white man who made an inappropriate "joke" about hitting an Asian woman ...
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u/readerchick 6h ago
Isn’t Jenna Dewan a professional dancer? How is she a contestant?
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u/Zealousideal-Pen2802 6h ago
Harry Shum Jr. is also a professional. There have been numerous dancers on the show.
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u/Some-Profession-1373 5h ago
So he got more of a punishment than Will Smith did
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u/YourFriendPutin 6h ago
Kick them out and bring back guillermo
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u/Panikkrazy 6h ago
Yes, but unfortunately they won’t do this. Also thank you for telling me he got voted off so I don’t have to start watching
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u/bougiehippie 4h ago
TIL that Chmerkovskiy and Jenna are married. How did I miss this? I thought the dude in the audience with her kid was her husband.
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u/crazydisneycatlady 4h ago
Jenna Dewan probably has her kid and partner in the audience. Val is married to another pro, also named Jenna.
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u/Raspberry_Just 2h ago
am i crazy for saying this is crazy? he didn’t say he was going to assault her. he said they almost saw an incident in which someone slapped someone else for speaking ill on their wife. while i do not condone violence in any way shape or form, i don’t think val was threatening CAI? yes it was in very poor taste, but he said they ALMOST saw a recreation of a meme. he was trying to be funny not say he is going to slap CAI.
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u/skermahger 17m ago
Lowk yes. “Trying to be funny” doesn’t matter when it comes to violence toward women. CAI was literally doing her job.
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7h ago
[deleted]
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u/dankblonde 7h ago
Carrie Ann being an inconsistent judge does not mean she deserves to be slapped.
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u/bwoah07_gp2 6h ago
You're 100% wrong
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6h ago
[deleted]
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u/bwoah07_gp2 6h ago
And no thank you for your opinion. Belittling someone by calling them "trash" says a lot about you.
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u/MybklynWndy 7h ago
I was curious who Jenna’s dancing with this week and just read that it’s Alan B.