‘DWTS’: Val Chmerkovskiy Apologizes to Carrie Ann Inaba for Will Smith Oscars Slap Reference

“Dancing With the Stars” (DWTS) has experienced off-stage drama once again. Pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy has apologized to DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba after he posted a TikTok referencing Will Smith’s infamous 2022 Oscars slap. Chmerkovskiy made the comment in response to Inaba’s criticism of his wife, Jenna Johnson, a fellow pro dancer on the ABC reality show.

Johnson and her dancing partner, Harry Shum Jr., received their scores on camera after Inaba called out a rule-breaking lift in their dance. Chmerkovskiy wrote on TikTok, “Put some respect on her name. She’s trippin’ talking to her like that.” He then escalated the situation further with a TikTok story, saying, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.”

Many viewers interpreted this as a reference to Will Smith’s on-stage outburst at the Oscars, where he slapped host Chris Rock in response to a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. In response to Chmerkovskiy’s comment, Inaba posted on Instagram, thanking media outlets for bringing it to her attention and asking, “So this is what we are doing now?”

Chmerkovskiy took to his Instagram stories the following day to issue an apology. He stated, “I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post. I have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally, and I also want to apologize publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside of our internal ‘DWTS’ family.

I should have never made the reference that I did and I deeply regret it.” Chmerkovskiy emphasized that he recognizes his platform and responsibility as a role model, promising to be more careful in the future.