What DWTS cast is saying about Val's suspension and Carrie Ann ‘liftgate' drama

Lauren DuBois Mon, October 19, 2026 at 5:07 PM UTC

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DWTS (Image: Getty)

Dancing With the Stars has been plunged into a new level of drama following Carrie Ann Inaba's calling out of a lift during Super Bowl night, and even former pros from the show's cast are weighing in.

The dance competition series, currently airing its 35th season on ABC, erupted into chaos during the October 13 episode, after Inaba, 58, called out a lift during Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr's routine by pulling out a paper with the definition of a lift on it, which Johnson's husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, defended online by seemingly issuing a threat towards Carrie Ann.

Now, following Chmerkovskiy being hit with a one-week suspension from the show, several of the show's fellow former pros have been speaking out about the aftermath-and the drama that led to it.

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Following the episode, Val took to social media and said that the "fresh prince" was about to enter the ballroom, a reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars and warning the comedian to keep his wife's name "out of his mouth."

Here's what other pros have said about the controversy.

Carrie Ann calls out the lift live on air (Image: ABC)

After Jenna and Harry's samba routine featured Harry being lifted into the air by backup dancers for an assisted backflip, Carrie Ann called it out during her critique, pulling out a sheet of paper with the definition of a lift on it in a move that some felt was passive aggressive.

Jenna later admitted that she thought the rule only applied to the pro partner, not extra dancers, saying she would know better for next time.

Val makes his comment online and apologizes after Carrie Ann calls it out (Image: ABC)

Val later posted his comment online with his perceived threat, with Carrie Ann then further calling it out on social media.

"This is what we're doing now?" she captioned a since-deleted post calling out Val's remarks.

Val issued an apology online, saying he wasn't referencing the physical slap, but Carrie Ann "keeping Jenna's name out of her mouth," but was still suspended by the show for one week during dedication night.

Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd weigh in (Image: Getty)

Maks Chmerkovskiy, Val's brother, and his wife, Peta Murgatroyd, both of whom are former pros on the show, weighed in on the liftgate drama on an appearance on The Viall Files Podcast shortly after the events occurred, with the pair expressing they understood Jenna's confusion and calling out Carrie Ann.

"When I heard what she said about no one could lift the person, I agreed with Jenna in the fact, like, ‘Oh, so even if it's not me, he can't be lifted either,'" Murgatroyd shared. "I think maybe that would have been confusing for me too."

"She goes and starts reading off the rulebook, but then that same rulebook that's applicable in ballroom with lifts is only applicable to a couple dancing. You're not talking about extra background dancers running out," Chmerkovskiy added.

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"There's no ‘three other people' in the rulebook," he continued. "The point is: Carrie Ann get some consistency. A lift is a lift if a partner lifted his partner...If you're going to have [the] troupe run out and throw someone in the air that's not a lift. That's Dancing With the Stars creative direction, and you should complain to the creative director."

Louis Van Amstel also blames a lack of consistency (Image: Getty)

Louis Van Amstel, who last competed on the show's 31st season, also weighed in on social media with an Instagram reel, where he said Carrie Ann was right to call out the lift, but that he also felt there was no consistency.

"I'm not being diplomatic here but Carrie Ann was right to call out that lift. That was a lift. Two men assisted Harry off the floor," he said.

Pointing out that Val had also lifted Jenna Dewan during their Paso Doble, another dance style where lifts are forbidden, he also said, "Carrie did not call that out. That, to me, is inconsistent. That's been my issue, I don't mind the ‘lift police,' she's right to do it, but be consistent!"

Sharing that the rules aren't specific and producers should clarify, he also pointed at Jenna, admitting that she also knew there is a rule about lifts, and even if she wasn't clear on how it applied, she knew what she was doing.

"You can also blame Jenna a little bit because she's playing with fire. She's poking the bear by putting in a lift, knowing that rule, But, then again, in her defense, she didn't lift him."

Anna Trebunskaya says Val's comment was "not cool" (Image: Getty)

In her own Instagram video, former pro Anna Trebunskaya, who has been recapping the season, addressed the controversy as well, and while she shared her thoughts on the lift itself, she also addressed Val's response to it.

"Jenna handled it like a pro. She was poised and mature. Val's comment, I will address it, not so mature and poised," she said. "He's not a mean person. He's a sweetheart. Him saying that was a bit out of line and I think that it was."

‘Especially the face that it was directed to a female judge, so not cool, not cool in that. But again, he apologized, he took it back, he took the post away, he was like, ‘Look, I overreacted,' then again, we don't know what's going on," she continued. "The stress that he's been going through at that particular moment when he wrote it down and things happen. He's a human being."

Gleb Savchenko takes aim at Val's replacement (Image: Getty)

Adding fuel to the fire unexpectedly was Gleb Savchenko, who seemingly took a shot at Alan Bersten, who was announced as Val's replacement for the week he was suspended.

However, Gleb appeared to think he wasn't the right replacement for Val, taking aim at Alan in a TikTok live.

"Alan, I think he's Alan. I mean, he's just not up to the level of dancing, like, period-quality, the technique," he said. "He's a good dancer, I guess, for TV, but if we talk about art? Like, creating art? He's like, eh. I don't want to like, talk s--t about people, I'm just being honest."

Savchenko then suggested one of the show's troupe members should have been chosen instead over the Season 28 Mirrorball champ.

"I don't have anything against the guy, just, like, why Alan?" he questioned.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”