Chmerkovskiy Returns to Dancing With the Stars Ballroom After One-Week Suspension

Val Chmerkovskiy was back in the Dancing With the Stars ballroom for Tuesday's Horror Movie episode, ending a one-week suspension. The penalty followed a remark he made comparing a moment on the show to Will Smith's Oscars incident while criticizing judge Carrie Ann Inaba's scoring.

How the show would handle his return was an open question going into the broadcast. His absence the previous week, on Dedication Night, had barely been explained. Co-host Alfonso Ribeiro said only at the start of that episode, "Val is not with us this week." A video package for his partner Jenna Dewan carried a late Friday night timestamp and showed her thanking Alan Bersten for stepping in to dance, but it gave no reason for Chmerkovskiy's absence and included no rehearsal footage of the pair.

On Tuesday, his return was acknowledged in the pretaped segment before the couple's Argentine tango, which was inspired by zombie films. "We are back together," Chmerkovskiy told Dewan. "I am so sorry for all the chaos. You did not sign up for that, and I feel awful." She answered, "I forgive you," and the two hugged.

During the judges' critiques, Inaba and Derek Hough praised his choreography. "Incredible choreography, Val. I wanna say that first. Incredible," Inaba said before turning to Dewan's performance. The situation was not mentioned again during the broadcast. The couple survived a double elimination and will return next week for the Disney-themed episode.

After the show, a video circulated online of Inaba and Chmerkovskiy hugging. The mirrorball champion told People their conversation "felt [like] cathartic relief." He said it was important that she feels safe and knows he wants nothing but love for her. "I will have nothing but love for Carrie Ann. I have nothing but respect for what she has to say," he said.

The dispute began after Super Bowl Night, when Inaba critiqued a samba to Usher's "Yeah!" by Chmerkovskiy's wife, fellow pro Johnson, and her partner Harry Shum Jr. Inaba said Johnson needed to put more content in her dances and pointed to a lift. When Johnson asked, "A lift?", Inaba read the definition aloud from a piece of paper: any movement in which a dancer has both feet off the floor at the same time with the support of a partner.

A day after that episode, Chmerkovskiy wrote in a TikTok Story, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night." The line alluded to Smith walking onstage at the 2022 Oscars while Chris Rock was hosting, after Rock joked about Jada Pinkett Smith. Inaba responded on Instagram that Thursday, writing, "So this is what we are doing now?"

On Tuesday, ahead of Horror Movie Night, Inaba also commented on a post on her personal Instagram page. She said she had stayed quiet out of professional courtesy to those still competing, and that she and Dewan had hugged it out after the Super Bowl show. She said she later learned Dewan was deeply hurt and offered to speak with her, and to discuss the lift rule and how she enforces it.

Inaba added that she believes a new lift rule should be created for next season. She suggested the judges meet with the pro dancers to discuss why the rule was set up, citing safety and fairness. "The show has evolved tremendously," she wrote, adding that working toward a better understanding among dancers, judges and viewers is important to her.