Posted on Oct 21, 2026 UTC

Dancing With the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from the show after making a controversial joke that appeared to suggest he'd slap judge Carrie Ann Inaba for criticizing his wife — and people are seriously divided over whether the punishment was too harsh, or nowhere near harsh enough.

It all started during the Oct. 13 episode , when Carrie Ann criticized Val's wife, fellow professional dancer Jenna Johnson, and her celebrity dance partner, actor Harry Shum Jr., for including what she considered an illegal lift in their samba routine.

"Like, I want to see you challenge yourself a little bit more in the vein of what we're looking for from you," Carrie Ann said, before adding, "And there was a lift."

Jenna questioned, "A lift?" but Carrie Ann pulled out the official rules and read them aloud: "Any movement during which one of the dancers has both feet off the floor at the same time with the assistance or support of their partner."

While Jenna graciously accepted…