Carrie Ann Inaba has spoken about the recent tension on “Dancing With the Stars,” sharing a photo of herself hugging Jenna Johnson during the show’s Oct. 20 episode. Johnson’s husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, was absent from that episode after being suspended over a social media post directed at Inaba.
The disagreement began when Inaba criticized lifts in Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.’s samba. Johnson pushed back, and Inaba responded by explaining the rule during her critique.
In an Instagram post, Inaba said she had stayed quiet out of professional courtesy to the contestants still competing. She explained that workplace standards keep the judges and dancers at a distance during the competition.
Inaba said she and Johnson hugged after the episode, describing Johnson as professional and saying the two had worked through the moment. She later learned Johnson had been deeply hurt and offered to speak with her whenever she was ready.
Inaba also said she was open to discussing how the lift rule is applied. She pointed to a video by former “DWTS” pro Sharna Burgess explaining lifts and assists, and suggested the show revisit its rules before next season.
Fans have criticized Inaba in the past, arguing that she applies the lift rule inconsistently. Inaba said she would like the dancers and judges to discuss the rule together, including its history and its original aims of promoting safety and fairness.
She added that the show, its casting and its audience have all changed over time. Building a clearer understanding among the dancers, judges and viewers is important to her, she said.
Chmerkovskiy was suspended after posting a now-deleted message that appeared to refer to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. The post seemed to defend Johnson after Inaba’s critique.
BBC Studios said the well-being of everyone working on the show was essential. The company called Chmerkovskiy’s post inappropriate and said it did not meet the standards expected of people associated with the program. He would not take part in the following week’s episode.
Chmerkovskiy later apologized to Inaba, both publicly and privately. He said he had acted on an impulse to defend his wife and used a meme reference without thinking through what it might suggest. He said that implication was not what he intended.
