Jenna Dewan to dance with Alan Bersten after Val Chmerkovskiy's DWTS suspension
Jenna Dewan will dance with Alan Bersten this week after her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended from Dancing with the Stars.
Jenna Dewan will dance with Alan Bersten this week after her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended from Dancing with the Stars.
The Step Up actress will take to the floor with the 32-year-old dancer - who was eliminated with Giada de Laurentiis earlier this season - on Dedication Night on Tuesday (20.10.26) after Val was asked to take a step back for a week over a controversial social media post that referenced the infamous Oscars slap involving Will Smith and Chris Rock.
According to Us Weekly, Jenna and Alan will honour the 45-year-old actress' mum Nancy with a Viennese waltz to the Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody.
Val received the suspension after he referenced Will Smith's infamous Oscars slap in a post responding to judge Carrie Ann Inaba's critique of his wife Jenna Johnson's performance on DWTS.
In a now-deleted post, he wrote: "You almost saw the Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night."
Val addressed the controversy after his suspension was announced and admitted he had made a "poor decision".
He wrote on Instagram: "Hi everyone. As you may have seen in the news, I won't be in the ballroom this week.
"In a moment where my instinct was to defend my wife, I made a poor decision to reference a meme to ‘keep my wife’s name’ out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention.
"Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgement, and I hated that she was.
"The last thing I want is to become a distraction from an important week or from the incredible work my dance partner Jenna Dewan is putting in. Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DTWS family lots of love during Dedication Night. I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!! [heart emoji] (sic)"
BBC Studios, which produces the TV show, previously described Val's social media post as "inappropriate".
In a statement obtained by People, the broadcaster said: "The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable.
"Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show. As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show."
