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Val Chmerkovskiy suspended from 'Dancing With the Stars' over Will Smith Oscars slap reference

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Cite

Ramirez, C. D. (2026, October 18). Val Chmerkovskiy suspended from 'Dancing With the Stars' over Will Smith Oscars slap reference. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/val-chmerkovskiy-suspended-dancing-stars-will-smith-oscars-slap-reference

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Fox News · collected 2026-10-18 · by Christina Dugan Ramirez

Quick Summary

Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from "Dancing With the Stars" after posting a comment on TikTok that referenced Will Smith’s Oscars slap incident to defend his wife Jenna Johnson following criticism by judge Carrie Ann Inaba. The suspension is unprecedented in the show's history and Val will miss Tuesday’s episode. BBC Studios, which produces the show, stated that the post was inappropriate and did not align with the program’s values or standards.
Written by AI on 2026-10-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended from Dancing With the Stars for one week on October 17, 2026, following a controversial TikTok post where he referenced Will Smith's infamous Oscars slap incident. The post was seen as an inappropriate response to harsh criticism of his wife, fellow pro dancer Jenna Johnson, by judge Carrie Ann Inaba during a previous episode. Chmerkovskiy deleted the post after it sparked outrage on social media and Reddit. BBC Studios, which produces the show, stated that the well-being of everyone involved in "Dancing with the Stars" is non-negotiable and that Chmerkovskiy's actions do not align with the show’s values or standards. Jenna Dewan's fiancé, Steve Kazee, rallied behind her on social media, offering support during this challenging time for Dewan, who began her journey on the show in September alongside Chmerkovskiy.

Written for “Val Chmerkovskiy Dwtss Suspension” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Val Chmerkovskiy Dwtss Suspension
Entertainment · 4 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Val Chmerkovskiy suspended from ‘Dancing With the Stars’ for one week due to controversial TikTok Same event
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 9 claims Outlet record 66/100
Val Chmerkovskiy upsets ‘DWTS’ fans with Will Smith slap reference while defending wife from vicious critique Different event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 25 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Val Chmerkovskiy's reference to Will Smith's Oscars slap, Article A focuses on the initial reaction and comments from fans about his social media post, whereas Article B reports on the subsequent disciplinary action against him by the show.”
Jenna Dewan’s fiancé, Steve Kazee, rallies behind dancer after partner Val Chmerkovskiy’s ‘DWTS’ suspension: ‘We got you’ Same event
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 23 claims Outlet record 66/100
Jenna Dewan’s new ‘Dancing With the Stars’ partner revealed in wake of Val Chmerkovskiy suspension Different event
New York Post
Hedges 4 of 26 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Val Chmerkovskiy's suspension from 'Dancing With the Stars', ARTICLE A focuses more on Jenna Dewan’s new partner for her upcoming performance, whereas ARTICLE B is specifically about the reason and details of Chmerkovskiy's suspension.”
How ‘Dancing With the Stars’ acknowledged Val Chmerkovskiy’s suspension drama on ‘Dedication Night’ Different event
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 28 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A reports on Val Chmerkovskiy's suspension from 'Dancing With the Stars', while Article B describes how the show addressed his absence during a later episode.”
Jenna Dewan addresses ‘DWTS’ partner Val Chmerkovskiy’s suspension over Carrie Ann Inaba controversy Different event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses Val Chmerkovskiy's suspension from 'Dancing With the Stars', while Article B focuses on Jenna Dewan addressing the situation and her partner's replacement during the show.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
2 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6507 article(s) · 12 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 12 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Christina Dugan Ramirez
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🔮 Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from "Dancing With the Stars" after appearing to reference Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap in a since-deleted social media post defending his wife, fellow pro dancer Jenna Johnson.
2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Val Chmerkovskiy suspended from 'Dancing With the Stars' over Will Smith Oscars slap reference
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Topics

ABC BBC Studios Oscars Super Bowl Night TikTok

Subjects

Val PERSON · 4× ABC ORG · 2× Carrie Ann PERSON · 2× Inaba PERSON · 2× Jenna Dewan PERSON · 2× Johnson PERSON · 2× BBC Studios ORG · 1× Jenna Johnson PERSON · 1× Val Chmerkovskiy PERSON · 1× Will Smith’s PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from "Dancing With the Stars" after appearing to reference Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap in a since-deleted social media post defending his wife, fellow pro dancer Jenna Johnson.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-18
🔮 Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from "Dancing With the Stars" after appearing to reference Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap in a since-deleted social media post defending his wife, fellow pro dancer Jenna Johnson.
2026-10-18 · Fox News
Val Chmerkovskiy suspended from 'Dancing With the Stars' over Will Smith Oscars slap reference · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 2 hedged)

Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from "Dancing With the Stars" after appearing to reference Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap in a since-deleted social media post defending his wife, fellow pro dancer Jenna Johnson. asserted
Chmerkovskiy → suspend → wife
The professional dancer, 40, will miss Tuesday’s "Dedication Night" episode, marking the first known suspension of a professional dancer in the show’s history, according to ABC. uncertain
dancer → miss → ABC
BBC Studios, which produces the ABC dance competition, confirmed the disciplinary action on Saturday. asserted
which → produce → action
"The well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is non-negotiable," the company said in a statement. asserted
company → work → statement
"Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show. asserted
post → reflect → show
As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show." asserted
he → participate → show
The controversy began after Carrie Ann Inaba criticized Johnson and her celebrity dance partner, actor Harry Shum Jr., during "Super Bowl Night" last week. asserted
Inaba → begin → Night
Inaba called out a lift in the couple’s samba routine and even read the definition of a lift during her critique. asserted
Inaba → call → critique
Val, who is married to Johnson, appeared to defend her in a TikTok post that read, "You almost saw the Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night." asserted
Prince → appear → ballroom
The comment was widely viewed as a reference to Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards. asserted
Smith → view → Awards
The post was later deleted, and Val apologized to Inaba publicly and privately. asserted
Val → delete → Inaba
"In a moment where my instinct was to defend my wife, I made a poor decision to reference a meme to ‘keep my wife’s name’ out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention," he wrote on his Instagram Stories. uncertain
he → defend → Stories
"Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was," he added. asserted
he → deserve → judgment
Val also said he did not want the controversy to overshadow the upcoming episode or distract from his celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan. asserted
controversy → say → partner
"The last thing I want is to become a distraction from an important week or from the incredible work my dance partner Jenna Dewan is putting in," he wrote. asserted
he → want → work
I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!" asserted
I → watch → everyone
Dewan will temporarily dance with pro Alan Bersten, who was eliminated from the competition during Week 2 alongside his celebrity partner, Giada De Laurentiis. asserted
who → dance → partner
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