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Val Chmerkovskiy and Carrie Ann Inaba shared an emotional embrace inside the DWTS studio after she became the target of his controversial Will Smith slap joke.
Chmerkovskiy, 40, was suspended for a single episode after he responded to Inaba's criticism of his wife Jenna Johnson's performance with a joke referencing Smith's infamous Oscars strike.
Chmerkovskiy returned for Tuesday's episode, and new video obtained by People shows the warring Dancing With The Stars headliners seemingly putting their feud to the side during heart to heart after the show.
While the conversation was inaudible, it appeared an olive branch was being extended between Chmerkovskiy and Inaba, 58.
Holding one another's hands, the pair appeared to be listening intently to one another as they worked out their differences.
The discussion ended on a good note and a warm hug.
Val Chmerkovskiy and Carrie Ann Inaba shared an emotional embrace inside the DWTS studio after she became the target of his controversial Will Smith slap joke
The controversy erupted after Chmerkovskiy's wife received an eight on her performance by Inaba as well as criticism over an illegal lift that was implemented in the performance
Inaba, aware that eyes were on them, turned to their audience to assure them they were 'good'.
'So everyone’s staring. We are coworkers and we are completely cordial. We are good, okay?' she said.
The audience clapped and, in a further show of chivalry, Chmerkovskiy assisted Inaba off the platform she was standing on.
The body language between the judge and dancer appeared to indicate they had put any lingering bad feelings behind them.
The controversy erupted after Chmerkovskiy's wife received an eight on her performance by Inaba as well as criticism over an illegal lift that was implemented in the performance.
Inaba's criticism prompted Chmerkovskiy to respond on social media with a joke referencing Will Smith's infamous Oscars slap - a move that ultimately got him suspended.
The tension appeared to already be thawing during the show when Chmerkovskiy danced with Dewan in a performance that earned him praise from Inaba.
The pair scored a 37 out of 40. 'Incredible choreography, Val,' Inaba told him after the dance, as he thanked her.
Chmerkovskiy later told People his post-show conversation with Inaba was 'cathartic.'
'It felt cathartic relief, you know?' he said. 'I think it was just really important for me to make sure that she feels safe and knows that, firsthand from me, I want nothing but love for her.'
The since-deleted joke that got Chmerkovskiy in hot water stated: 'You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night', after Inaba called out Johnson for a lift, which ballroom-dancing competitions frown upon.
Chmerkovskiy returned to DWTS on Tuesday night following a single episode suspension
Tensions seemed to have thawed between Val and Carrie, with the judge praising his choreography
Many fans thought Chmerkovskiy was referencing the infamous moment when Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. When Smith slapped Rock, he screamed at the host: 'Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth!'
Chmerkovskiy later clarified that he was referring to the 'keep my wife's name' portion of the incident.
Chmerkovskiy faced a furious backlash for the post and publicly apologized, but BBC Studios confirmed that he would be off the series for one week, marking the first time in the history of the show that a pro has been suspended.
Inaba has since broken her silence on the incident in a recent Instagram post, as she called for a 'new lift rule.'
'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,' she said.
'But I think a part of this 'headline' has missed a few important parts of what happened. 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.'
Chmerkovskiy later told People his post-show conversation with Inaba was 'cathartic'
'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.'
She 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.'
In reaction to the news of his suspension, Chmerkovskiy provided a statement to The Daily Mail through his representative, insisting his 'instinct was to defend my wife' but confessing he 'made a poor decision' out of 'bad judgment.'
'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,' Chmerkovskiy insisted.
Val's wife Jenna Johnson became inadvertently dragged into the controversy after her husband attempted to defend her with a controversial joke
Chmerkovskiy said in his statement: 'Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was. The last thing I want is to become a distraction from an important week or from the incredible work my dance partner Jenna Dewan is putting in.'
Though Chmerkovskiy quickly took down the story, his comments had already started circulating and caught Inaba’s attention, sources said.
An insider told the Daily Mail: 'She was not going to let that s*** go. She was furious. Livid. She said it was a threat and that something needed to be done. She wanted an apology but also wanted consequences.'
Insiders told the Daily Mail that Chmerkovskiy apologized to Inaba but that it was not enough for the judge.
‘So the producers knew that they had to meet in the middle and punish [Val],’ an insider at Dancing With the Stars told the Daily Mail. ‘She wanted more, but that's what they ended up doing.’
Inaba responded by posting a screenshot of an article covering Chmerkovskiy's comment to Instagram and writing: 'So this is what we are doing now?'
Afterwards, Chmerkovskiy shared a message to Inaba in a TikTok comment posted under a video of her interaction with Johnson.
'Put some respect on [my wife's] name,' he wrote, adding: 'She's trippin' talking to her like that.'
Former Dancing With The Stars contestant Amanda Kloots weighed in on the controversy during an interview with The Daily Mail at the WWD 2026 Honors Gala on Tuesday, saying the drama was 'a little bit blown out of proportion.'
'I will have to say that show is so based in family and love and joy. It's one of the reasons I still love that show and come back anytime they ask me to do anything and I think that that was just a little bit blown out of proportion.
Kloots, who was paired up with dancer Alan Bersten during her season, added: 'I'm so glad that everybody's back and so proud of my partner Alan Bersten for stepping in and killing it as he always does.'
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