Carrie Ann Inaba & Val Chmerkovskiy Hug It Out After ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Suspension Drama
Developing story first seen 3 hours 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* as he returned after a one-week suspension, and footage of the moment went viral.
- 2 hours 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.
Full account
Carrie Ann Inaba and Val Chmerkovskiy embraced after Tuesday’s Dancing with the Stars broadcast, marking a public thaw in tensions following his one-week suspension. Chmerkovskiy had returned to the ballroom that evening. The hug was filmed and circulated on social media.
The dispute began after Inaba criticised lifts in a performance by Jenna Johnson, Chmerkovskiy’s wife, during the 13 October episode. Inaba and Johnson disagreed about what counted as a lift. Chmerkovskiy later posted a remark invoking Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars slap, which BBC Studios described as inappropriate and inconsistent with the standards expected of people connected with the programme. He was suspended for a week and later removed the post.
Chmerkovskiy apologised, saying he had acted on an impulse to defend Johnson and had not considered the wider implications of the reference. He also told People after the embrace that he wanted Inaba to know he felt love and respect for her. During his return episode, he apologised to his dance partner, Jenna Dewan, for the disruption; she said she forgave him and had missed him.
Inaba said in an Instagram statement that she and Johnson had already hugged after the earlier show and that Johnson had handled the exchange professionally. She added that she had offered to talk with Johnson about the lift rule, and called for a clearer rule next season so dancers, judges and viewers have a better shared understanding. The outlets frame the reunion somewhat differently: one focuses on the on-set embrace and the suspension’s aftermath, while the other gives more space to Chmerkovskiy’s comments to People, his apology to Dewan and Inaba’s proposed rule changes.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
Source 1 says the embrace took place on the show’s set and describes Chmerkovskiy’s social media remark without specifying TikTok; Source 2 identifies TikTok and places the embrace after Tuesday’s broadcast.
Source 2 reports Chmerkovskiy’s remarks to People and his apology to dance partner Jenna Dewan, details not included in Source 1.
Source 2 includes Inaba’s call for a new lift rule next season and her reference to a video explaining lift rules; Source 1’s account includes her statement that she had offered to discuss how she applies the rule, but omits the proposal for a new rule.
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.
Coverage · 2 sources
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