- Carrie Ann Inaba subtly broke her silence on the Dancing With the Stars lift controversy with a series of Instagram comment.
- The longtime judge explained she remained quiet out of professional courtesy while competitors were still in the competition.
- She also clarified where she and Jenna Johnson stand after criticizing her Super Bowl Night performance.
Carrie Ann Inaba has officially broken her silence on all the Dancing With the Stars lift drama that kicked off two weeks ago.
Two days after sharing a moving Instagram post commemorating Dedication Night, Carrie Ann dropped a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it series of comments where she quietly weighed in on LiftGate.
“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 wrote, in part. She then clarified where she stands with Jenna Johnson after calling out her “illegal” lift during Super Bowl Night on October 13.
“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,” Carrie Ann added. “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 also shared that she wants the reality competition series to implement a “new lift rule” next season.
“I think a session 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,” she explained. “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.”
Her statements come after weeks of reported behind-the-scenes drama following her critiques of Jenna and Harry Shum Jr.’s Super Bowl Night performance. She not only faced backlash from DWTS fans for her “harsh” feedback, but also became the subject of Val Chmerkovskiy’s joke referencing the infamous Oscars Slap.
The pro dancer was suspended from the competition for one week, and after his public apology to Carrie Ann, The Sun’s sources revealed that the longtime judge “did not initially accept Val’s apology when he called to say he was sorry.”
“She heard him out but never said things were fully good between them,” the insider added.
Carrie Ann issued her statements before Val makes his return to the ballroom for tonight’s Halloween Night episode. Let’s see how this pans out…