‘DWTS’ drama heats up as Val fires back at Carrie after judge critiques wife Jenna’s dance
Celebrities and pro dancers are creating one heartwarming performance after another on 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 35. But one performance, instead of giving fans viral moves to perform, provided them with feuds to discuss. During Super Bowl night, Harry Shum Jr. and his partner Jenna Johnson performed a Samba to “Yeah!” by Usher. The high-energy routine earned some eyebrow-raising critique from Carrie Ann Inaba. She called Jenna Johnson out for incorporating a lift in the performance, which isn't allowed in Samba.
Carrie backed her feedback with the National Dance Council of America (NDCA) definition of a lift. "A lift is any movement during which one or both dancers have both feet off the floor at the same time with the assistance or support from their partner," she said. Some fans took Jenna's side, as the troupe members did the most visible lift in the routine, not Jenna or Harry. Certain viewers, though, stated that Harry, at the tail end, did do a move with Jenna, where the latter's both feet were off the ground.
Bruno and Carrie also stated that there was not enough Samba content in the dance. "If that was a halftime show, amazing, I loved every minute of it. But it's a samba," Carrie stressed. Ultimately, the couple scored 33 out of 40 and proceeded to next week. However, the matter did not stop there. Social media erupted with opinions on the interaction. Some fans called out Carrie's inconsistency over the years about docking points for lifts.
Things got heated when Valentin Chmerkovskiy, another pro dancer on the show and Jenna's husband, entered the chatter. In a TikTok story, he wrote, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night," a reference to Will Smith's famous slap to comedian Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards. The actor is known as 'The Fresh Prince' as part of the hip-hop duo 'DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince' and also for playing the part in 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.' Many thought he was threatening violence against Carrie for her critiques. Carrie also made a separate post on Instagram. "So this is what we are doing now?" she wrote on her post featuring Page Six's coverage of the update.
Val deleted the story and posted an apology on his Instagram story. "I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post. 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," the pro wrote, according to THR. "I am truly sorry to Carrie Ann and everyone whom I hurt with my careless post. I will do better moving forward."
Carrie has not responded to the apology. Many fans think Val's reactions could lead to severe repercussions. On Reddit in r/dancingwiththestars, fans have shared their views on the situation. "Essentially threatening violence to CAI. Should be a fireable offense, honestly. He should at least be reprimanded and made to apologize," u/pocket-daisy wrote. 'Dancing with the Stars' airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
