Carrie Ann Inaba Asks for a New Lift Rule on Dancing With the Stars

Carrie Ann Inaba wants Dancing With the Stars to write a new lift rule before next season. She made the request in her first public comments on the dispute that led to Val Chmerkovskiy being benched, Variety reported on Oct. 27.

The row began on the Oct. 20 episode. Inaba, one of the show's judges, said that Jenna Johnson's routine included an illegal lift, according to People. A lift is when one dancer raises or holds up their partner, and the show has rules on how that can be done. Johnson is a professional dancer on the show. She is also Chmerkovskiy's wife.

After that episode, Chmerkovskiy posted on TikTok, "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night," then deleted it. The line was a reference to the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. BBC Studios, which produces the show, said the post was inappropriate and did not reflect the show's values or standards. It also said he would not take part in next week's episode.

Chmerkovskiy apologised on Instagram. He said he had personally reached out to Inaba. He also said he made a poor decision when he used the "keep my wife's name" meme to defend his wife, without thinking about what else the reference could suggest. People reported that he returned to the show for Dedication Night after his absence.

Inaba said she had stayed quiet until now out of professional courtesy for the dancers still competing. She said she and Johnson hugged it out after the show. She offered to sit down with Johnson at any time to talk about the lift rule and how Inaba enforces it.

Inaba also asked for something bigger. She wants a session with all the dancers and judges together. The aim would be to go over how the lift rule was first defined, by Len Goodman, the show's original producers and herself. She said the rule exists for safety and fairness.

Judges and dancers are kept apart for a reason, Inaba said. She explained that the show's standards and practices team, the department that polices what goes on air, keeps judges separated from competitors. That is one reason she has not spoken before now. Her request for a new rule is aimed at next season, so any change would come after the current run.

For viewers, the story is about the rules behind the scoring. The lift rule decides which moves a dancer can use, and this dispute has put it in the spotlight. Inaba's call for a joint session would bring the people who write and enforce the rule into the same room, if it goes ahead.