Carrie Ann Inaba, Val Chmerkovskiy caught having emotional conversation in 'DWTS' ballroom after suspension drama

New York Post - Page Six
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Oct 28, 2026
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Well, it appears that things in the Dancing
with the Stars ballroom are healing.
Decider was there to catch
this emotional moment after last night's live taping.
Val affectionately held Carrie-Anne by the waist,
and she seemed to reciprocate by putting her hands on his shoulders.
The two were locked in the conversation for a while,
even addressing the audience members watching, telling them, quote,
The two may have been discussing Val's suspension
for his Oscars slap joke aimed at Carrie-Anne
that caused him to miss last week's dedication night.
Val was allowed back this week to dance
with partner Jenna Dewan for Horror Movie Night,
making some fans uncomfortable with their zombie-inspired dance,
where Val was chomping at Jenna's neck and face.
But before their Argentine tango,
Val started off his pre-tape with this apology to Dewan.
I am so sorry for all the chaos.
You did not sign up for that, and I feel awful.
I forgive you.
Oh, I miss you.
But Jenna Dewan did pretty well dancing with Alan Burstyn last week.
Take a look at how her dedication dance went.
It was a big night for Jenna Dewan,
whose Viennese waltz to Unchained Melody paid tribute
to her mother.
You may have noticed her pro partner Val Chmerkovsky
was not there due to his one-week
suspension for a controversial social media joke he made aimed
at judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
Inaba actually found out about his comments online
and thanked Page Six for bringing it
to her attention. And get this,
Jenna Dewan got her first 10 of the season, from, you guessed it,
Carrie Ann Inaba. So how did Val take it?
His sub Alan Burstyn wrote on Instagram,
I am so honored to be stepping in and dancing with Jenna Dewan.
You are such a light and it's
so beautiful to see you and your mom share the floor.
To which Val responded in the comments,
Thank you for stepping in and doing such an amazing job.
Jenna looks so good and most
importantly, happy. You're my new favorite follow, Winky Face.
So there you have it, crisis over.
