Val Chmerkovskiy Apologises to Carrie Ann Inaba Over Oscars Slap Post

Val Chmerkovskiy has apologised to Carrie Ann Inaba after a deleted post appeared to invoke Will Smith's Oscars slap in her direction.

The Dancing with the Stars pro said he had contacted Inaba directly and personally to say sorry, and then shared a public apology on his Instagram Story on Thursday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Dancing with the Stars, for anyone new to it, pairs celebrities with professional dancers in a weekly live dance contest decided by judges and viewer votes.

The row began over a dance Chmerkovskiy did not perform in. His wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, danced a samba with actor Harry Shum Jr. for the show's Super Bowl Night, a themed episode built around the American football championship. Inaba criticised the routine.

Chmerkovskiy then posted in Johnson's defence on his TikTok Story. The post read, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night."

Fresh Prince is a reference to Smith's 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The Oscars slap at issue was Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Academy Awards, as previously reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The TikTok Story stayed live for at least six hours before it was deleted.

Reaction was swift. The comment upset DWTS fans, according to Page Six, and drew a pointed reply from Inaba herself. Resharing a screenshot about the "Fresh Prince" comment on Instagram on Thursday, she wrote, "So this is what we are doing now?"

Chmerkovskiy's apology followed the same day. He did not keep the exchange on social media alone. He said he had reached out to Inaba to apologise directly, alongside the public Instagram Story message.

For fans, this means the disagreement has moved off the feed. The dances continue, the scores still count, and two of the show's longest-serving faces have at least publicly called a truce.