Jenna Dewan gets new DWTS partner after Val Chmerkovskiy's one-week suspension
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The gist
Dancing with the Stars pro Valentin Chmerkovskiy was suspended for a week over a since-deleted post referencing Will Smith's Oscars slap.
Jenna Dewan, his partner, will dance with pro Alan Bersten on the Oct.
Background
Jenna Dewan is "The Rookie" star and a celebrity contestant on season 35 of "Dancing with the Stars" (DWTS), the US ballroom competition show; she had been partnered with pro dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy, a three-time DWTS champion. The trouble began when judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized Chmerkovskiy's wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, over an illegal lift in her samba with partner Harry Shum Jr. Chmerkovskiy then posted a since-deleted TikTok Story line, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night," which was read as a reference to Will Smith's 2022 Oscars slap of Chris Rock. Production company BBC Studios suspended him for one week, and Dewan was given a replacement partner.
How it unfolded
- Oct 13, 2026On the "Super Bowl Night" episode, judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized Jenna Johnson for an illegal lift in her samba with Harry Shum Jr., reading her the definition of a lift.
- Oct 13, 2026Chmerkovskiy posted on his TikTok Story, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night," referencing Will Smith's 2022 Oscars slap; the post stayed up at least six hours before being deleted.
- Oct 17, 2026BBC Studios announced Chmerkovskiy was suspended for one week and would miss the next week's "Dedication Night" show; he posted an apology on his Instagram Story.
- Oct 17, 2026Reports revealed Jenna Dewan will dance with pro Alan Bersten on the Oct. 20 show.
- Oct 20, 2026Dewan is set to perform a Viennese waltz to "Unchained Melody," dedicated to her mother, Nancy, on the live "Dedication Night" show.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- BBC Studios said the well-being of everyone on the show is non-negotiable and that Chmerkovskiy's post was inappropriate and did not reflect the show's values, so he will not participate next week.
- Chmerkovskiy
- Chmerkovskiy said he made a poor decision to reference a meme to defend his wife without thinking through what it could imply, apologized to Inaba directly and publicly, and said he does not want to distract from Dewan's work.
- Source
- A source told Variety that Dewan is aware and has remained a true professional, calling her a beloved part of the DWTS family.
Still unverified
Us Weekly described Chmerkovskiy's since-deleted comments as "threatening physical harm towards judge Carrie Ann Inaba." Reddit users theorized the post was "likely referring to when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock" and that he allegedly "wanted to slap Carrie Ann for telling Jenna to step it up." Dewan's pairing with Alan Bersten was first reported by Us Weekly and Entertainment Weekly, with EW confirming it.