Val Chmerkovskiy sparked controversy in the “Dancing with the Stars” fandom with a cryptic social media move.
The day after the show’s first “Super Bowl Night,” the professional dancer posted a heated post referencing Will Smith’s infamous 2022 Oscar slap after Carrie Ann Inaba’s harsh criticism of wife Jenna Johnson the previous evening.
“You almost saw the Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” Chmerkovskiy’s now-deleted TikTok status read, according to a screenshot shared by a follower in the comments of a video featuring him and his famous partner, “Step Up” star Jenna Dewan, on Wednesday.
“What do you mean by that?” the fan questioned under the comment, along with an embarrassing emoji.
Others also responded; While one person wrote, “Brother, isn’t this a joke?”, another said, “It sounds like a threat to me!” he intervened.
Yet another suggested the apparent situation “basically means he’s going to hit” [Inaba].”
The comment showing Chmerkovskiy’s TikTok status appears to have either been deleted or removed by the time this article was published.
A thread on Reddit also had fans wondering what Chmerkovskiy meant with his post; Many people linked this to Smith slapping Chris Rock after the comedian joked about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, onstage during the ceremony.
The violent outburst resulted in Smith being banned from all Academy activities for 10 years as punishment.
One netizen called Chmerkovskiy’s comment “disgusting,” while another said the professional “essentially threatening violence…should be a fireable offense.”
Chmerkovskiy, meanwhile, took aim at Inaba in the comments under a separate TikTok video, writing: “He’s got some respect for her name. She’s freaking out talking to him like that.”
In the clip of Johnson and her celebrity partner, “Glee” star Harry Shum Jr., receiving their scores from the judges, Inaba and fellow judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli shout “Yes!” for their samba. While giving them 8’s, Chmerkovskiy was seen acting in wild disagreement. by Usher.
They only cheered when guest judge Joe Buck gave the duo a 9, bringing their total score to 33/40.
“I love how he defends his wife,” one person wrote in the comments, while another added: “Val is like: that’s my wife, don’t mess with Carrie Ann.”
Representatives for ABC, Chermkovskiy, Johnson and Inaba did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment Wednesday evening.
Johnson and Inaba faced off in an intense feud as the judges gave feedback on his and Shum Jr.’s routine on Tuesday night’s final episode of Season 35.
Inaba claimed she “loved every minute” of the performance but told the “Grey’s Anatomy” star that she “should have put more substance.” [his] dancing.”
“And there was an elevator,” he added, to which Johnson replied, “An elevator?” he replied.
“Yes, it was a lift,” Inaba said, and went on to read from a piece of paper that “a lift is any movement performed by one of the dancers, with the help or support of their partner, in which both feet are off the ground at the same time and the audience is quiet.”
Johnson and Shum Jr. When they went to the skybox to collect their scores, co-host Julianne Hough asked the professional dancer how she felt about Inaba’s criticism.
“I totally understand. I thought that’s what would happen if you picked up your partner,” Johnson said. “But I totally hear Carrie Ann. I’ll take it. Of course.”
“Dancing with the Stars” airs Tuesdays at 8pm on ABC and Disney+.