When will Val Chmerkovskiy return to ‘DWTS’? Pro dancer’s comeback date revealed

‘DWTS’ Season 35 was hit by controversy after Val Chmerkovskiy responded to judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s criticism of his wife and fellow pro dancer, Jenna Johnson. BBC Studios subsequently announced that Val would miss the October 20 episode following a one-show suspension. As a result, Val’s celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan, competed with Alan Bersten in his place.

Alan Bersten stepped in to partner Jenna Dewan for the October 20 episode. Fans have been wondering when Val will return to ‘DWTS.’ According to The US Sun’s exclusive reporting, Val will return to the competition starting with the upcoming episode.

Fans will see Val join his dance partner, Jenna Dewan, on the October 27 episode, which has a Halloween theme. “As per Val’s conversations with the network, he fully plans to return to the show next week with his wonderful dance partner Jenna Dewan,” a source told The US Sun.

Previously, Val found himself in the center of an unexpected event. The controversy began when longtime judge Carrie Ann Inaba critiqued a performance by Jenna Johnson and her celebrity partner, Harry Shum Jr. During the show’s Super Bowl Night, the duo received a total of 33 points out of 40. For that, Carrie Ann noted, “If that was a halftime show, amazing, I loved every minute of it. But it’s a Samba.”

She told Jenna, the choreographer, to “put more content” into their dances. The judge also pointed out the “lift” from the performance. When Jenna seemed surprised, Carrie Ann pulled out a paper and read that a lift was “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.”

After that, Val, in a now-deleted social media post, wrote, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” allegedly referring to Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars outburst. However, he later publicly apologized via an Instagram Story on October 15. He said he also reached out to the judge and apologized to her “directly and personally.” He added, “I should never have made the reference that I did, and I deeply regret it.” Val is expected to return for the October 27 episode of ‘DWTS.’