“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” Chmerkovskiy’s since-deleted TikTok status read, per a screenshot shared by a follower in the comments of a video he shared Wednesday featuring him and his celebrity partner, “Step Up” star Jenna Dewan.
asserted
he → see → him
“What do you mean by this?” the fan queried under the comment alongside a cringing emoji.
asserted
fan → mean → emoji
Others responded, with one person writing, “Bro that joke ain’t it” and another chiming in, “Sounds like a threat to me!!”
asserted
another → respond → me
Yet another posited that the apparent status meant “basically that he would hit [Inaba].”
asserted
he → posit → Inaba
The comment featuring Chmerkovskiy’s TikTok status appears to have since been either deleted or removed at the time of this article’s publication.
asserted
comment → feature → publication
A Reddit thread also had fans sounding off on what Chmerkovskiy could have meant with his post, with many linking it to Smith slapping Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, onstage during the ceremony.
uncertain
comedian → have → ceremony
One netizen called Chmerkovskiy “disgusting” for making the comment, while another said the pro “essentially threatening violence … should be a fireable offense.”
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violence → call → comment
Meanwhile, Chmerkovskiy took aim at Inaba in the comments under a separate TikTok video, writing, “Puts some respect on her name.
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Chmerkovskiy → take → name
Shes trippin talking to her like that.”
asserted
She → talk → that
The clip, which featured Johnson and her celebrity partner, “Glee” star Harry Shum Jr., getting their scores from the judges, showed Chmerkovskiy wildly gesturing in disagreement as Inaba and fellow judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli gave them 8’s for their samba to “Yeah!” by Usher.
asserted
Inaba → feature → Usher
He only cheered when guest judge Joe Buck gave the duo a 9, bringing their total score to 33/40.
asserted
Buck → cheer → 33/40
“I love how he defends his wife,” one person wrote in the comments, while another added, “Val be like: that’s my wife don’t mess with her Carrie Ann.”
asserted
that → love → her
Reps for ABC, Chermkovskiy, Johnson and Inaba did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment Wednesday evening.
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Reps → respond → comment
Johnson and Inaba faced off in an intense exchange while the judges gave their feedback on the routine she and Shum Jr. delivered Tuesday night, the latest episode of Season 35.
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she → face → Season
Inaba asserted that she “loved every minute” of the performance, but told the “Grey’s Anatomy” star he should have “put more content in [his] dances.”
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he → assert → dances
“And there was a lift,” she added, to which Johnson responded, “A lift?”
asserted
Johnson → be → lift
“Yeah it was a lift,” Inaba said, proceeding to read from a sheet of paper that “a lift is any movement during which one of the dancers has both feet off the floor at the same time with the assistance or support of their partner” as the audience fell quiet.
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audience → say → partner
When Johnson and Shum Jr. went up to the skybox to receive their scores, co-host Julianne Hough asked the pro dancer how she felt about Inaba’s criticism.
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she → go → criticism
“I totally understand.
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I → understand → ?
I thought it was if you lifted your partner,” Johnson said.
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Johnson → think → partner
“But I totally hear Carrie Ann.
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I → hear → Ann
I will take it.
asserted
I → take → it
“Dancing with the Stars” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams on Disney+.
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Dancing → dance → Disney+
Conversation
Your voice matters.
asserted
voice → matter → ?
Discussions are moderated for civility.
asserted
Discussions → moderate → civility
The Aporia
