Val Chmerkovskiy Gets One-Week ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Suspension For Controversial TikTok Seemingly Referencing Will Smith-Chris Rock Slap
Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from one week of Dancing with the Stars after posting a TikTok that appeared to allude to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. The post followed judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s criticism of a lift performed by his wife, Jenna Johnson, and the show’s producer said it was inappropriate and did not meet the programme’s standards.
Chmerkovskiy said he had made a poor decision while trying to defend his wife, and that he had not considered the implications of the reference. He apologised to Inaba and publicly regretted the post, which he later deleted. Next week, Jenna Dewan is due to dance with Alan Bersten in a performance dedicated to her mother.
- Val Chmerkovskiy will miss one week of the show.
- His deleted TikTok appeared to reference the 2022 Oscars slap.
- He apologised and said he had not thought through the remark.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A one-week suspension can be seen as a proportionate way to uphold the programme’s standards: the post appeared to invoke a high-profile act of violence in response to a judge’s professional criticism, risking an intimidating tone and undermining respectful debate. A clear consequence also signals that public figures on the show are accountable for what they post, even when they later apologise.
The case against
The suspension can be seen as an excessive response to a post Chmerkovskiy acknowledged was a mistake, deleted and apologised for, particularly since he said he had not considered the reference’s implications. Supporters of a lighter response might argue that his attempt to defend his wife was misguided rather than malicious, and that a private reprimand or apology could address the harm without removing him from a week of work.