Carrie Ann Inaba & Val Chmerkovskiy Hug It Out After ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Suspension Drama
Developing story first seen 1 hour ago
Carrie Ann Inaba and Val Chmerkovskiy hugged on the set of *Dancing with the Stars* as he returned after a one-week suspension, and footage of the moment went viral. Their public reconciliation follows a social media comment by Chmerkovskiy that the show’s production company called inappropriate.
The dispute began after Inaba and dancer Jenna Johnson disagreed over lifts in Johnson’s performance on 13 October. Johnson’s husband, Chmerkovskiy, posted a remark invoking Will Smith’s Oscars slap, then deleted it and apologised, saying he had not considered what the reference could imply. Inaba said she and Johnson had also hugged and that she had offered to discuss how she applies the lift rule.
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In short
- Inaba and Chmerkovskiy hugged after his return from suspension.
- His suspension followed a social media comment about Inaba.
- Inaba said she and Jenna Johnson had also made up.
How this story developed
- 29 minutes ago Carrie Ann Inaba and Val Chmerkovskiy hugged on the set of *Dancing with the Stars* after his one-week suspension, in a moment that went viral.
- 29 minutes ago Carrie Ann Inaba and Val Chmerkovskiy hugged on the set of *Dancing with the Stars* as he returned after a one-week suspension, and footage of the moment went viral.
Explained simply
Dancing with the Stars is a US ballroom dance competition in which celebrities perform with professional dancers. Carrie Ann Inaba is one of the judges, while Val Chmerkovskiy is a professional dancer on the show; Jenna Johnson, his wife, is also a professional dancer.
Judges assess performances against the competition’s rules, including limits on lifts. Disagreements about judging can draw attention because dancers, judges and their families are all part of the same public-facing programme, and comments on social media can affect how those relationships are viewed.
BBC Studios produces the programme and sets standards for people associated with it. The dispute also drew on a widely recognised reference to actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, which gives context to why the remark attracted scrutiny.
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