Val ousted from Dancing with Stars over Will Smith joke
Val was benched from one episode after making a controversial Will Smith reference on social media.
Val made a joke about Will Smith's 2022 Oscars slap while defending his wife's dancing. The comment came after judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized his wife's performance on Super Bowl Night.
Val posted "You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night" on TikTok. The post was widely seen as a reference to the slap.
But Val later said he never meant that. Dancing with the Stars' producer BBC Studios said the post was not right and did not reflect the show's values.
Val apologised and admitted his mistake. For the Dedication Night episode on October 20, his dance partner Jenna Dewan will perform with another pro instead.
- Will Smith's 2022 Oscars incident
- Slap reference
- October 20 Dedication Night
- Benched episode
- Alan Bersten
- Replacement partner
- Dancing with the Stars season 35
- Season
Why it mattersThe incident shows how social media posts can have real consequences. Even public figures defending loved ones must be careful about what they share online.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, though Dancing with the Stars Australia fans follow the US version and its drama closely.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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