'DWTS' Drama: Val Chmerkovskiy Under Fire Over Will Smith Slap Reference After Carrie Ann Inaba Critique

Fans of Dancing With the Stars are familiar with judge Carrie Ann Inaba's strict enforcement of ballroom rules, particularly her stance against lifts. She defines a lift as 'any movement during which one of the dancers has both feet off the floor at the same time with the assistance or support of their partner.'

Her critique during the show's Super Bowl Night was directed at professional Jenna Johnson and celebrity partner Harry Shum Jr. after they performed a samba to Usher's 'Yeah!' Inaba flagged a lift, to the surprise of Johnson, who choreographed the routine.

Val Chmerkovskiy's TikTok Post

After the episode, Johnson's husband and fellow professional Val Chmerkovskiy updated his TikTok status: 'You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.' Many interpreted it as a reference to Will Smith, who played the 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' and slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony.

Smith struck Rock after a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, leading many social media users to view Chmerkovskiy's post as a possible threat to Inaba. Others criticised Chmerkovskiy's cornrows, with some accusing him of cultural appropriation.

Chmerkovskiy has since deleted the post, changed his profile photo and publicly apologised to Inaba. Some social media users defended Chmerkovskiy, saying he was actually referencing Smith's infamous Oscars remark: 'Keep my wife's name out your f***ing mouth!'

Carrie Ann's Reaction

Inaba seemingly did not see Chmerkovskiy's post directly but came across a Page Six story about it on Instagram. The outlet referenced the slap in its caption: 'Val Chmerkovskiy sparked controversy in the 'Dancing With the Stars' fandom with a cryptic social media move.'

'The day after the show's first-ever "Super Bowl Night," the pro dancer posted a heated sentiment seemingly referencing Will Smith's infamous 2022 Oscars slap after Carrie Ann Inaba's harsh critique of wife Jenna Johnson the previous evening,' the caption also read.

'So this is what we're doing now?' Inaba wrote when reposting the Page Six photo, which showed a side-by-side image of Chmerkovskiy and Smith and an inset of the Oscar slap. Inaba thanked Page Six and Entertainment Weekly for alerting her to the post.

Val Issues Public Apology

Following the backlash, Chmerkovskiy took to Instagram Stories to apologise: '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 many...'

He admitted that he should not have made the reference, acknowledging his 'fortunate position' as a role model. 'I need to treat that with more care by actively pausing to think before I post to ensure what I am sharing aligns with who I am, and who I want to be for you all,' Chmerkovskiy added.

Inaba has been a judge on Dancing With the Stars since its debut in 2005, becoming one of the show's most recognisable figures for her technical critiques and enforcement of dance rules. Chmerkovskiy joined the competition as a professional dancer in season 13 in 2011 and has won the coveted Mirrorball Trophy three times, with celebrity partners Rumer Willis, Laurie Hernandez and Xochitl Gomez.