Entertainment

Dancing With the Stars gives Jenna Dewan a new partner after Val Chmerkovskiy’s suspension

Alan Bersten will step in after BBC Studios said Chmerkovskiy would miss the next show following his post about judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

By NewsCubby Editorial Desk · Published October 18, 2026 at 4:38 AM EDT

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Jenna Dewan will dance with Alan Bersten on the next Dancing With the Stars show while her professional partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, sits out for one week. Entertainment Weekly confirmed the replacement, giving viewers a clear answer about what the change means for Dewan’s next performance.

BBC Studios announced the absence on October 17 after Chmerkovskiy’s social-media remarks about judge Carrie Ann Inaba. In a statement reported by TheWrap, the producer said the post did not meet the show’s standards and that he would not participate in the next episode.

The dispute followed Inaba’s criticism of a routine involving Jenna Johnson, Chmerkovskiy’s wife and a fellow professional dancer. Johnson is a different person from Dewan, the celebrity contestant with whom he is competing.

In his response, Chmerkovskiy acknowledged poor judgment in making a reference associated with Will Smith’s Oscars slap. He said the implication was not intended and that Inaba should not have been drawn into the situation. That explanation is his account of the post; it does not change the producer’s stated decision.

The announced absence covers one week. It does not establish a permanent departure or Dewan’s elimination from the competition.

ABC lists the next episode, Dedication Night, for Tuesday, October 20, at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC and Disney+, with next-day availability on Hulu. The broadcaster’s October 14 announcement predates the partner change; Entertainment Weekly’s later confirmation supplies the updated pairing.

Sources and original reporting

- Daysia Tolentino / Entertainment Weekly: Val Chmerkovskiy will not dance on DWTS this week after heated comments about Carrie Ann Inaba’s judging - Daren DeFrank / TheWrap: DWTS Suspends Val Chmerkovskiy for One-Week Following Controversial TikTok Comments Toward Carrie Ann Inaba - ABC / Disney Entertainment Television Press: Dancing With the Stars Brings Heart and Meaning to the Ballroom With Dedication Night on ABC and Disney+

Photo credit and license

Photo: © Kevin Paul / WikiPortraits, “Jenna Dewan at San Diego Comic Con 2026-2.jpg,” July 25, 2026, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 4.0. The source version was already cropped; NewsCubby made a separate crop and added headline text and a contrast gradient. No endorsement is implied.

Original image and required attribution · CC BY 4.0 license. The cover identifies Dewan as the person pictured and includes the archive date. It does not show the current Dancing With the Stars episode.