Tatyana Ali quietly backs a fan who called out Val Chmerkovskiy over his Fresh Prince jab

Tatyana Ali has not said a word out loud about the Val Chmerkovskiy uproar. One tap on her phone may have said plenty.

A tribute to her TV dad

The actress is a contestant on Dancing with the Stars this season. For the show's Dedication Week she is set to dance alongside Alfonso Ribeiro, her old "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" castmate, in honor of James Avery. Avery played Uncle Phil, the father figure both of them grew up with on the sitcom.

Ali posted on TikTok about how much the routine means to her. In the comments, a viewer steered the conversation toward the drama involving Val and judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

The comment she liked

The fan said they were angry that Val leaned on Avery's legacy and Ali's work to aim a threat at Carrie Ann. The same viewer added that they loved the show and were glad to have grown up watching Avery.

Ali gave that comment a like. Many fans read it as a sign that she sides with the viewer and thinks Val's post crossed a line.

Why Val is sitting out

Val is suspended from the show this week. After Carrie Ann marked down his wife, Jenna Johnson, for using an illegal lift in her routine with Harry Shum Jr., he wrote online that people almost saw the Fresh Prince walk into the ballroom.

Many viewers took that as a nod to the night Will Smith slapped Chris Rock over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith was the star of "Fresh Prince."

Carrie Ann was upset enough by the post that she reportedly took her complaint straight to the production company behind the show.

His apology

Val has since said he was sorry. In his statement he said his gut reaction was to protect his wife. He explained that he used a meme to keep her name out of the discussion and never meant to suggest anything else.

Whether he will be paid while he is benched has not been made public.