“Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba is addressing the lift drama, calling for new dance rules in the comments section of an Instagram post.
Inaba called out pro dancer Jenna Johnson for including a lift in her routine with Harry Shum Jr. that violated the show’s ballroom standards. During the show’s “Super Bowl Night” episode, Inaba read the lift rule aloud on national television.
The judge’s critique went viral as Johnson’s husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, also a pro dancer on the show, escalated the controversy online. In defense of his wife, the fellow “Dancing With the Stars” pro wrote that viewers “almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom,” a remark widely interpreted as a reference to Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars slap. The comment led to his one-week suspension from the show.
Speaking out for the first time since Chmerkovskiy’s suspension, Inaba sought to clarify the media scrutiny surrounding the controversy.
“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,” she wrote. “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.”
“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,” she added.
Inaba, the self-proclaimed stickler for lifts on the show, said that there should be a new lift rule created for future seasons. She also wanted sit-down conversations with the pro dancers and judges to discuss the intention for the limitation.
“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. “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.”
Chmerkovskiy will return to dance with his partner Jenna Dewan on Horror Movie Night Tuesday night. Inaba gave Dewan her first 10 of the season while she danced with her interim partner Alan Bersten last week.
“Dancing With the Stars” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams live on Disney+.
