Drama on Dancing With The Stars exploded over the weekend. Carrie Ann’s critique of Jenna Johnson’s routine with Harry Shum Jr. led to Jenna’s husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, getting suspended from the show. The View hosts addressed the “excessive” drama, with Ana Navarro vowing to boycott the ABC dance competition. Keep reading to find out the latest on the shocking scandal.
The View Hosts Address ‘Excessive Drama’ Surrounding Val Chmerkovskiy
Grey’s Anatomy star Harry Shum Jr. performed a Samba with his pro partner, Jenna Johnson, last week on DWTS. One of the judges, Carrie Ann Inaba, called Jenna out for lack of Samba content and an illegal lift in the routine. Jenna Johnson was shocked by the mention of a lift, leading to Carrie Ann reading directly from the rulebook about lifts.
You would think the incident would end there, but you’d be wrong. Jenna Johnson’s husband, who is also a pro dancer on the show, made a social media post about it. “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” Val Chmerkovskiy wrote, referencing Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
A lot of DWTS fans pushed back against what they felt was a threat of violence toward Carrie Ann from Val. He issued an apology, but it wasn’t enough. ABC announced that Val is benched from the upcoming episode and Alan Bersten would replace him for the Dedication Night dance with Jenna Dewan.
Val took to social media to address the suspension. He clarified that he wasn’t referring to the slap, but Will Smith’s quote, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth,” that he said after slapping Chris Rock.
The View hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin were confused by the “excessive” drama. “Why didn’t he just call her? Why does everybody have to put everything on social media?” Whoopi Goldberg asked. Sunny Hostin agreed, noting that Val and Carrie Ann have known each other for years.
Ana Navarro Threatens Boycott For Surprising Reason
Alyssa Farah Griffin expressed sympathy for Jenna Dewan. “I feel bad for Jenna Dewan. You get used to practicing with somebody,” she said. Ana Navarro threatened to boycott over the drama.
The View hosts generally have no patience for reality TV. Ana Navarro immediately admitted that she had no idea who Val or Carrie Ann was. She showed a cheat sheet diagram her producer made to identify the participants in the drama. But not knowing anything about DWTS didn’t stop Ana Navarro from weighing in. She vowed to boycott for a surprising reason.
“Since they got rid of Guillermo last week after he danced to Bad Bunny, I am boycotting this thing,” The View host said. “I want to know nothing. On behalf of fat Latinos everywhere, I’m standing up for Guillermo!”
Guillermo Rodriguez was eliminated last week after surviving 5 weeks of grueling competition. But Ana Navarro isn’t the only one threatening to boycott. Val Chmerkovskiy’s fans are also threatening not to watch. It will be interesting to see how DWTS handles the drama on Tuesday night. Share your thoughts on Val’s suspension in the comments.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger