Val Chmerkovskiy and Carrie Ann Inaba have made peace. How the 'Dancing With the Stars' controversy unfolded. - Yahoo
Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba and professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy have reconciled following a public dispute over a controversial dance move. The conflict stemmed from a disagreement regarding the show's rules on lifts during a samba performance.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the intersection of reality television production, professional standards, and public social media discourse.
Carrie Ann Inaba and Valentin Chmerkovskiy. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Eric McCandless/Disney, Frank Micelotta/Disney) The recent Dancing With the Stars drama, which led to professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy being given a one-week suspension over an ill-judged Instagram post, appears to be over.
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba and Chmerkovskiy were seen hugging after Tuesday night's episode, a reconciliation that Chmerkovskiy said felt like "cathartic relief."
The pair's disagreement started two weeks ago, when Inaba accused Chmerkovskiy's wife, professional dancer Jenna Johnson and her celebrity partner, Grey's Anatomy actor Harry Shum Jr., of using an illegal dance move in a terse exchange following their Week 5 routine.
During the Oct. 13 episode of the ABC reality dance competition, dubbed Super Bowl Night, Shum and Johnson were performing a samba to "Yeah!" by Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris when some of the dance troupe members hoisted Shum into the air.
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