Entertainment
Val Chmerkovskiy is benched for a week on DWTS over his slap quip about a judge
BBC Studios sidelined the Dancing with the Stars pro for one week after he joked online about a Will Smith-style slap aimed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
Val Chmerkovskiy will sit out a week of Dancing with the Stars. The production company pulled the longtime pro from the ballroom after a social media joke that hinted he nearly slapped one of the judges.
What set it off
The trouble began with a critique of his wife. Jenna Johnson, who is also a pro on the series, was marked down by Carrie Ann Inaba because her routine with actor Harry Shum Jr. included a lift.
Chmerkovskiy jumped in to back her up online. In a short post he pointed to the Oscars night when Will Smith struck Chris Rock, suggesting the world almost met the "Fresh Prince" after Inaba weighed in on his wife. He has since deleted it.
Fans were not laughing
He did not mean it literally. Many viewers still recoiled at the image of a man hitting a woman over how she scored his wife's dance.
Inaba answered online as well. She reportedly reposted a headline about his words with a caption asking whether this is where things are going now.
An apology and a penalty
Chmerkovskiy took ownership of the post. He said sorry to fans and apologized to Inaba directly.
BBC Studios, the company behind the competition, decided the apology was not enough. The company said in a statement that his post was out of line and fell short of the conduct it expects from everyone involved with the program. It then announced the one-week suspension.
Who dances with Jenna Dewan
His celebrity partner this season, Jenna Dewan, still has to perform this week. Alan Bersten, a pro who was knocked out earlier in the season, is stepping in as her partner for the night.
