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“Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba is breaking her silence on pro Val Chmerkovskiy’s suspension.
In the comments section of her latest Instagram post, Inaba explained that she had not addressed the controversy out of “professional courtesy” to those still competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
“We actually have standards and practices that keep us separated,” Inaba, 58, wrote on Sunday. “But I think a part of this ‘headline’ has missed a few important parts of what happened.”
During the hit competition series’ “Super Bowl Night” on Oct. 13, Inaba and pro Jenna Johnson, Chmerkovskiy’s wife, clashed over a lift during Johnson and her partner Harry Shum Jr.’s samba.
Johnson, 32, reportedly “broke down” backstage following the tense exchange while Chmerkovskiy, “who was pissed” about the incident, “comforted” her.
Meanwhile, Inaba said on Sunday that she and Johnson “hugged it out” after the show.
“Jenna was an absolute professional about it, and two women worked through the moment,” Inaba added. “It came to my attention later that Jenna was deeply hurt. So I also offered to speak with her at any time.”
The longtime judge, who has become widely known as the “lift police,” went on to say that she had offered to discuss her approach to enforcing the lift rule with Johnson.
Inaba also pointed to a “great” video pro Sharna Burgess had made explaining lifts, assists and which dances allow them and which do not.
In a separate comment under the same post, Inaba advocated for the introduction of a life rule for next season.
She proposed a session with all the dancers and judges in one room to discuss “the history of how and why Len Goodman, our original producers and I defined the lift rule” and its purpose, which she said was “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,” Inaba 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,” she concluded.
Inaba’s comments come ahead of Chmerkovskiy’s return to the ballroom Tuesday for “Horror Movie Night,” following a one-week suspension over a social media post referencing Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap.
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” Chmerkovskiy, 40, wrote in a now-deleted TikTok post following Inaba’s harsh critique of his wife.
He later apologized after the post sparked backlash but was forced to miss “Dedication Night” last week, leaving his partner, Jenna Dewan, to perform a Viennese waltz with pro Alan Bersten.
As Page Six previously reported, Chmerkovskiy’s suspension was officially lifted on Oct. 21, with a source telling us that he reunited with Dewan at rehearsals.