‘DWTS’ Judge Carrie Ann Inaba Speaks Out After Val Chmerkovskiy Suspension & Calls For “New Lift Rule”

Carrie Ann Inaba is finally addressing the Dancing with the Stars drama after Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended and is calling for a “new lift rule.”

The DWTS judge made controversial comments on the October 13 episode and called out pro dancer Jenna Johnson for a lift, which is severely frowned upon in the ballroom dancing competition.

“I have not spoken about what happened because of professional courtesy for those who are still competing, and we actually have standards and practices that keep us separated,” Inaba said in an Instagram post on Tuesday, October 27.

During the episode, Inaba and Johnson had a tense exchange about the definition of a lift. Chmerkovskiy, who is married to Johnson, posted a shady comment on social media saying, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.” The comment referenced Will Smith taking the Oscar stage and slapping Chris Rock to defend his wife. After the comment, Chmerkovskiy earned a one-week suspension, with BBC Studios calling the pro-dancer’s social media post “inappropriate” and not reflecting “the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show.”

Inaba shared in her new social media post that she had squashed the beef with Johnson.

“I think a part of this ‘headline’ has missed a few important parts of what happened,” Inaba said. “I think it’s important for everyone to know that Jenna and I hugged it out after the Super Bowl show. Jenna was an absolute professional about it, and two women worked through the moment. It came to my attention later that Jenna was deeply hurt. So I also offered to speak with her at anytime. I have also offered to discuss the lift rule and how I enforce it. @sharnaburgess made a great video explaining lifts, assists and which dances allow and don’t allow them.”

In the comments, Inaba continued, “I think in the future, a new lift rule should be created for next season. I think a session of with all the dancers and the judges in a room together to discuss the history of how and why Len Goodman, our original producers and I defined the lift rule and the what the purpose is which is safety and fairness. The show has evolved tremendously, the way the show is cast has also changed, and so has our audience and the way they consume the show. So, working together to create a better understanding between the dancers and the judges and our audience is important to me, as we move forward and is something I have asked for.”

Chmerkovskiy has since then deleted his social media comment and apologized to Inaba, saying, “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. Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.”