What To Know
- Carrie Ann Inaba requested that a new lift rule be put in place for future seasons ofDancing With the Stars.
- She has been a longtime stickler of the show’s lift rules and has faced criticism from fans because of it at times.
- Her request comes after a public controversy with Val Chmerkovskiy, which stemmed from Inaba’s critique of Jenna Johnson using an illegal lift in one of her dances.
Carrie Ann Inaba is known to be a stickler about lifts onDancing With the Stars, and she’s faced the wrath of fans quite a number of times over the years because of it. Earlier this season, she called out Jenna Johnson for choreographing a lift into one of Harry Shum Jr.‘s routines, and even read the definition of a “lift” in ballroom dance off the piece of paper in front of her to prove her point.
Johnson was confused by the critique and point deduction, and the controversy blew up when her husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, posted social media comments in her defense. He, unfortunately, took things too far with one of his posts directed towards Inaba, though, which ultimately led to his one-week suspension from the dance competition.
Inaba has stayed tight-lipped about the situation, but offered some context about why she hasn’t spoken out on October 26. She also suggested that she show change its lift rules in future seasons as a way to evolve with the new demographic of audience members that have started tuning in.
Disney/Eric McCandless
“I have not spoke 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 explained in the comments section of her Instagram post. “But I think a part of this ‘headline’ has missed a few important parts of what happened.”
She made sure to point out that she and Johnson “hugged it out” after the October 20 episode, which Chmerkovskiy was suspended for. “Jenna was an absolute professional about it, and two women worked through the moment,” she wrote. “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.”
Inaba pointed fans to a video Sharna Burgess made about theDWTS lift rules, which we have broken down here. She also made sure to note that the lift rule was put into place at the start ofDWTS for various reasons.
“I think in the future, a new lift rule should be created for next season,” Inaba said. “I think [there should be] 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 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.”
Dancing With the Stars, Season 35, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC and Disney+