Entertainment · Celebrity · 2 hrs ago
Val Chmerkovskiy Defends Jenna Johnson After Dancing With the Stars Criticism
Val Chmerkovskiy defended his wife, dancer Jenna Johnson, after judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized Johnson’s choreography on Dancing With the Stars.
Johnson and her celebrity partner, Harry Shum Jr., performed a samba during the show’s Super Bowl Night episode.
Inaba said the dance needed more content and pointed to a lift, which Johnson questioned.
The pair scored 33 out of 40, with three judges giving them eight points each and guest judge Joe Buck giving them nine.
Chmerkovskiy later posted that viewers “almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom,” a remark some people interpreted as a reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
The post prompted speculation about its meaning, but Chmerkovskiy did not explain it in the material available, and representatives for him and Inaba had not responded to requests for comment.
Val Chmerkovskiy defended his wife, Dancing With the Stars professional Jenna Johnson, after judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized her choreography.
Johnson and celebrity partner Harry Shum Jr. performed a samba to Usher’s “Yeah!” during the show’s Super Bowl Night.
Chmerkovskiy criticized the judges’ scores online and posted a comment that fans interpreted as a reference to Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars slap.
The pair received 33 out of 40 points, with three judges giving them eight and guest judge Joe Buck giving them nine.
The Hollywood Reporter said it had contacted ABC and representatives for Inaba and Chmerkovskiy but had not received a response by publication.
- Who
- Val Chmerkovskiy defended his wife, professional dancer Jenna Johnson, after criticism from judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
- What
- Chmerkovskiy criticized the judging online and posted a remark fans connected to Will Smith’s Oscars slap.
- When
- The performance took place on Tuesday’s Super Bowl Night; Chmerkovskiy’s Fresh Prince post appeared on Wednesday.
- Where
- On Dancing With the Stars and on social media.
- Why
- Chmerkovskiy objected to Inaba’s criticism of Johnson’s choreography and the scores given to the pair.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Johnson and Harry Shum Jr. performed a samba to Usher’s “Yeah!” on Super Bowl Night and received their scores.
Chmerkovskiy commented on a viral TikTok video, criticizing the way Johnson had been addressed.
Chmerkovskiy posted the Fresh Prince comment on his TikTok Story.
- Performance
- Samba to Usher’s “Yeah!
- Pair
- Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.
- Total score
- 33/40
- Judges’ scores
- Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli gave eight each; Joe Buck gave nine
- Fresh Prince post
- Posted Wednesday; it had been live for six hours at publication
What people are saying
You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night
Puts [sic] some respect on her name. Shes trippin talking to her like that.
I think you need to put more content in your dances. Especially because [Harry’s] so good, I want to see you challenge yourself a little bit more in the vein of what we’re looking for. And there was a lift.