Val Chmerkovskiy has issued an apology to Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba following his “careless” comment that referenced Will Smith’s Oscars snap in a TiKTok Story post, which he has since deleted.
“I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post,” he wrote on his Instagram Story on Thursday, Oct. 15. “I have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally, and I also want to apologize publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside of our internal DWTS family. I should have never made the reference that I did and I deeply regret it. I recognize that I am in a fortunate position to have a platform and to be a role model to some, and I need to treat that with more care by actively pausing to think before I post to ensure what I am sharing aligns with who I am, and who I want to be for you all.”
“I am truly sorry to Carrie Ann, and everyone who I hurt with my careless post. I will do better moving forward,” he concluded.
Chmerkovskiy’s initial comment came as he was defending his wife, pro Jenna Johnson, after Inaba criticized her for her samba performance with Harry Shum Jr., specifically saying she needs to add more to the choreography. As a result, he wrote on his TikTok story, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.”
That comment was in reference to the moment at the 2022 Oscars when Smith slapped Chris Rock during the show following a joke the comedian made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Inaba reacted to the initial post, resharing a screenshot of the comment while writing, “So this is what we are doing now?”
Dancing With the Stars airs on Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+.