'DWTS' Pro Val Chmerkovskiy Apologizes to Carrie Ann Inaba After Controversial Will Smith Slap Joke: 'I Will Do Better'

Dancing With the Stars professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy apologized to judge Carrie Ann Inaba after posting a social media post referencing Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap.

The post came after Inaba criticized a samba routine performed by Chmerkovskiy's wife and fellow pro dancer, Jenna Johnson, and her celebrity partner, Harry Shum Jr., on the show’s October 13 episode.

"I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post," Chmerkovskiy wrote in his Instagram Story.

The DWTS pro also confirmed that he had reached out to Inaba privately before addressing the situation publicly and admitted that his 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," he added while also explaining that he respects the platform and is grateful to be a "role model" to some people.

Chmerkovskiy added that he will pause "to think" before he shares anything on social media.

He concluded: "I am truly sorry to Carrie Ann, and everyone who I hurt with my careless post. I will do better moving forward."

Before Chmerkovskiy offered his apology, the longtime judge of the dancing show addressed the situation on Instagram after seeing media coverage of his since-deleted comment.

Inaba reshared a screenshot of the report and wrote, "So this is what we are doing now?"

The original remark, which was posted on TikTok, read: "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night."

The reference appeared to invoke Smith’s 2022 Academy Awards incident when the Men in Black star walked onstage and slapped Chris Rock after he joked about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

The post quickly raised eyebrows, as Val's remark came shortly after a disagreement over a dance performance on the show. Although he didn't mention Carrie Ann by name, the timing of his comment led viewers to speculate that it was directed at the judge following her criticism of the routine.

The controversy began during the October 13 episode of Dancing With the Stars, when Harry and Jenna performed a samba to Usher's hit "Yeah!" for the show's Super Bowl Night. While Inaba praised the performance, she criticized the routine for lacking enough traditional samba content and questioned a lift involving the dancers.

When Jenna asked for clarification, Inaba referred to the show's official rules, explaining that a lift occurs when both feet leave the floor with assistance or support from another dancer.

Despite the critique, the duo earned a respectable 33 out of 40 points, with Inaba awarding them an eight.

Following the episode, Jenna addressed the feedback in an interview with Extra, admitting she hadn't realized the move would be considered a lift.

"You know what, it's hard, because usually when someone's called out for a lift, it's when your partner lifts you. So I was definitely unaware of, like, two guys that weren't myself rolling back Harry and lifting him. But I absolutely hear Carrie Ann," she explained.

Jenna's measured response stood in sharp contrast to the controversy that erupted after her husband shared his social media post.

The criticism of Jenna’s performance also got a reaction from Val’s brother, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who used to be a professional dancer on DWTS.

Speaking on "The Viall Files" podcast, he questioned whether the lift rules were applied fairly, saying the lift involved backup dancers rather than the two dance partners. However, Maksim agreed that the samba routine required more dancing.