Carrie Ann Inaba Breaks Silence on Val Chmerkovskiy's 'DWTS' Suspension

"Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba has called for a new lift rule to be created for next season, breaking her silence on the controversy that led to professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy's one-week suspension from the show.

Inaba addressed the drama in a comment on her recent Instagram carousel, her first public statement since the Oct. 20 episode that set off the ballroom's most tense stretch of the season.

Why did Inaba stay silent until now?

"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 wrote.

The Oct. 20 episode carried a double storyline. In one photo from her Instagram carousel, Inaba hugs Jenna Johnson, Chmerkovskiy's wife. That same night, Chmerkovskiy was benched. During the broadcast, Inaba called out Johnson's lifts, and when Johnson pushed back, the judge read her the definition of a lift.

What does Inaba say actually happened?

"I think a part of this 'headline' has missed a few important parts of what happened," Inaba continued. "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."

Inaba said she learned later that Johnson "was deeply hurt," and that she offered to speak with her at any time. She also offered to discuss the lift rule and how she enforces it, pointing to a video by Sharna Burgess explaining lifts, assists and which dances allow them.

Inaba has long deducted a point from dancers who perform illegal lifts. Over the last several seasons, critics have accused her of picking and choosing whose lifts she penalizes and whose she lets slide.

What change does Inaba want?

"I think in the future, a new lift rule should be created for next season," Inaba wrote. She proposed "a session 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 purpose is, which is safety and fairness."

Inaba argued the show has outgrown its original framework. "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," she wrote, adding that creating a better understanding among dancers, judges and the audience "is something I have asked for."

How did Chmerkovskiy get suspended?

After the Oct. 20 episode, Chmerkovskiy posted on TikTok: "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night." Fans read it as a reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, after Smith said, "Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth." Chmerkovskiy deleted the post, but not before many fans saw it.

BBC Studios announced before Dedication Night that he would not compete that week. "The well-being of everyone who works on 'Dancing with the Stars' is non-negotiable. Val's social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show," the studio said in a statement released on a Saturday. "As a result, he will not participate in next week's show."

Chmerkovskiy apologized on Instagram and said he reached out to Inaba personally. "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. "Carrie Ann certainly didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was."

With Inaba now on record requesting a formal rule revision, the question moves to the producers: whether "Dancing With the Stars" will convene her proposed judges-and-dancers session before next season.