"DWTS": Val Chmerkovskiy References Will Smith Slap While Defending Jana Johnson Amid Criticism from Carrie Ann Inaba

Chmerkovskiy wrote in a TikTok story on Wednesday: "You almost saw the prince enter the ballroom just last night.

Dancing With the Stars pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy has defended his wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, online after judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized her dancing on Super Bowl Night on Tuesday. However, one social media post in particular caught the attention of fans: a TikTok story in which Chmerkovskiy wrote, "Last night you were almost the new prince in the ballroom," a comment that some believe is a reference to Will Smith's infamous slap to Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

After Johnson and his famous partner Harry Shum Jr. performed a samba to Usher's "Yeah!" performed, the judge told the Mirrorball champion: "I think you need to put more substance into your dances. "Especially because [Harry] is so good, I want to see you challenge yourself a bit more in the vein that we're looking for." “Elevator?” Johnson responded to Inaba's statement.

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Inaba took out a piece of paper with the definition of a lift, which she read during the live episode: "A lift - I just have to say - is any movement in which one dancer, with the help or support of their partner, lifts both feet off the floor at the same time. Yes, lift."

After the reviews, Shum Jr. and Johnson returned to the Skybox, where they received their scores of 33/40. Each of the main judges (Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli) gave the duo 8 points, while guest judge Joe Buck gave them a 9.

In a viral TikTok video of Chmerkovskiy in the Skybox behind Shum Jr. and Johnson as they received their scores, the three-time DWTS winner shakes his head as the judges (except Buck) give their eight scores.

Chmerkovskiy addressed the comments on that video on Tuesday, writing, "I respect his name. That's how he talks to him." The pro didn't call Inaba by name, but she is the only female judge on the panel.

TikTok prince Chmerkovskiy's new story was posted on Wednesday and had been live for six hours at the time of publication. One Reddit thread was filled with theories that Chmerkovskiy's post was "probably a reference to when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock for making a comment about his wife," adding that they took his comment because he apparently "wanted to slap Carrie Ann for telling Jenna to step it up."

While hosting The Rock in 2022, Smith took to the Oscars stage after joking about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who starred in G.I. Jane's trail. "Keep my wife's name out of your damn mouth!" Smith infamously yelled from the crowd after returning to his seat after being slapped.

A TikTok user took a screenshot of Chmerkovskiy's TikTok story and attached the photo to his comment. The latest video, shared on Wednesday, was a post of himself and celebrity partner Jenna Dewan from Super Bowl Night, writing, "What do you mean by this?"

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to ABC for comment. THR also reached out to Inaba and Chmerkovskiy's respective representatives, but did not hear back by press time.

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