Inaba Urges New DWTS Lift Rule After Chmerkovskiy’s 1-Week Suspension

Q: What really pushed BBC Studios to suspend a star dancer over a deleted social media post?

BBC Studios suspended Val Chmerkovskiy because his deleted post was seen as crossing from defending his wife into invoking violence toward a judge. The trigger was a TikTok status posted after Carrie Ann Inaba criticized Jenna Johnson’s routine for an illegal lift. Chmerkovskiy wrote, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” a line widely interpreted as a reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars after saying, “Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth.” He also commented elsewhere that Inaba was “trippin” and should “put some respect on her name.” BBC Studios’ public explanation was blunt: the post was “inappropriate,” did not reflect the show’s “values or standards,” and violated a basic workplace principle that “the well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ is non-negotiable.” In other words, the company appears to have judged the post not as harmless venting, but as language that could be read as threatening or intimidating toward a colleague. The suspension also served a broader purpose: containing a backstage dispute that had already spilled into public view and was distracting from the competition. Chmerkovskiy later acknowledged that he had made “a poor decision,” said he had not thought through “what else that reference could imply,” and apologized publicly and privately to Inaba.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 2

Carrie Ann Inaba said “Dancing with the Stars” should create a new lift rule for next season after the dispute over Jenna Johnson’s routine and Val Chmerkovskiy’s suspension.
In an Instagram post, Inaba said she and Johnson “hugged it out” after the Oct. 20 show, offered to discuss how she enforces lift calls, and pushed for a judges-dancers session on the rule’s safety and fairness purpose.
The flare-up began when Inaba penalized Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.’s samba for a lift and read the definition on air, reviving fan criticism that she applies the rule inconsistently.
BBC Studios then suspended Chmerkovskiy from the following week’s show after he posted and deleted a Will Smith slap reference defending Johnson; he later apologized publicly and privately.