By TMZ | Created at 2026-10-17 21:01:53 | Updated at 2026-10-17 21:46:53
50 minutes ago
'Dancing with the Stars' Pro Val Chmerkovskiy Suspended ... After Making Will Smith Slap Joke About Judge
Published October 17, 2026 1:56 PM PDT
Val Chmerkovskiy -- a fan-favorite professional dancer on "Dancing with the Stars" -- has been suspended from the show for one week ... after he made a joke implying he almost slapped a female judge, like Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.
Here's the deal ... Val is married to Jenna Johnson -- another professional dancer on the show -- who was dinged by Carrie Ann Inaba for including a lift in her routine with actor Harry Shum Jr.
Val rushed to his wife's defense ... and did it by invoking the Smith slap -- saying online people almost saw the "Fresh Prince" come out after Carrie Ann criticized his better half. The brief post has since been deleted.
As you can imagine ... Val's comment -- though not meant literally -- went over like a lead balloon with fans, who didn't like the idea of Val hitting a woman for judging his wife's dancing. Inaba responded to the comment online as well ... reportedly sharing a headline about Val's words alongside the caption, "So this is what we are doing now?"
Val apologized to fans and to Carrie Ann directly ... but that wasn't enough for BBC Studios, which produces the show.
The company stated Val's post was "inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show." They then announced they were suspending him.
Val's partner -- Jenna Dewan -- still has to dance this week ... with Alan Bersten, who was eliminated earlier in the competition, stepping in to dance with her.
