The professional dancer apologises for his controversial meme reference while confirming he will miss the 20 October episode of Dancing with the Stars.

Val Chmerkovskiy has addressed the controversy surrounding his defence of wife Jenna Johnson after his remarks sparked backlash, confirming that he will miss one week of Dancing with the Stars following a suspension.

The 40-year-old professional dancer will sit out the 20 October episode after a social media comment made in response to judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s criticism of Johnson’s performance triggered controversy.

The incident began when Val posted, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.” Many interpreted the remark as a reference to Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

Chmerkovskiy subsequently apologised, acknowledging that his attempt to defend his wife had been poorly judged.

In a statement shared with Just Jared, he admitted that he had referenced a meme without considering the wider implications of his words.

“In a moment where my instinct was to defend my wife, I made a poor decision to reference a meme to ‘keep my wife’s name’ out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention,” he said.

He also expressed regret that Inaba had been drawn into the controversy, adding that she did not deserve to be caught in the middle of his poor judgement.

The dancer stressed that he did not want the situation to overshadow the upcoming programme or the efforts of his dance partner, actress Jenna Dewan.

Chmerkovskiy urged fans to support Inaba, Dewan and the wider DWTS family during Dedication Night, saying he would be watching and cheering everyone on.

Despite his absence, Dewan is expected to compete in the episode, allowing the competition to continue without her regular professional partner.