“DWTS”’ Val Chmerkovskiy reacts to Jenna Dewan dancing with Alan Bersten, addresses Instagram unfollow rumors

Shania RussellWed, October 21, 2026 at 7:04 PM UTC

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Valentin Chmerkovskiy; Jenna Dewan and Alan BerstenCredit: Ethan Miller/Getty; Disney/Eric McCandlessKey Points -

Val Chmerkovskiy shared a positive reaction to DWTS partner Jenna Dewan performing with fellow pro Alan Bersten.

“Thank you for stepping in,” Val commented beneath Bersten’s post celebrating the performance.

Chmerkovskiy also made a sly reference to rumors that he unfollowed Bersten after the dancer was named as his temporary replacement.

Don’t let all the Dancing With the Stars drama fool you: there are no hard feelings between Val Chmerkovskiy and Alan Bersten.

After Bersten stepped up and took over as Jenna Dewan’s dance partner on Oct. 20’s Dedication Night, Chmerkovskiy took a few moments to express gratitude while clearing up some rumors.

“Thank you for stepping in and doing such an amazing job,” Chmerkovskiy, who was recently hit with a one-week suspension from the show, commented beneath Bersten’s post about performing with Dewan. “Jenna looks so good and most importantly happy.”

Chmerkovskiy then alluded to rumors that he had unfollowed Bersten after the fellow pro was named as his temporary replacement, writing, “You’re my new favorite follow,” with a winky face emoji.

Jenna Dewan and Alan Bersten on ‘DWTS’Credit: Disney/Eric McCandless

In an Instagram Story posted during Tuesday night’s episode, Chmerkovskiy urged followers to vote for Dewan by texting her name “ten times” to the number 21523. By the episode’s end, it was announced that there would be no elimination on “Dedication Night,” and Chmerkovskiy posted a simple “Thanks,” with a red heart emoji.

Dewan and Bersten scored a 37/40 for their performance, tying for second place with Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, which put them right behind Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, who earned a 38/40.

Chmerkovskiy’s suspension came to an end on Wednesday, per a Page Six report. He reunited with Dewan at rehearsals, and the duo will dance together in the Oct 27 episode.

Chmerkovskiy was suspended from the show last week, after stirring controversy with a post targeting judge Carrie Ann Inaba for her critiques of his wife, Jenna Johnson.

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On Oct. 13, he wrote on his TikTok Story, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” which was an apparent reference to Will Smith confronting Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. Critics took the comments as a reference to Smith slapping Rock on stage, though Chmerkovskiy later argued that he was only referencing Smith telling Rock to “keep my wife’s name out your mouth.”

Valentin Chmerkovskiy attends the 33rd Annual Race To Erase MS Gala on June 5, 2026Credit: Michael Kovac/Getty

The dancer was ultimately hit with a one week suspension, during which Bersten was tapped to step in for Chmerkovskiy. (Bersten’s original partner, Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis, was eliminated in week two.)

On Oct. 15, Chmerkovskiy issued a public apology, writing, “I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post. I have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally, and I also want to apologize publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside of our internal DWTS family. I should have never made the reference that I did and I deeply regret it.”

Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Dewan on ‘DWTS’Credit: Disney/Eric McCandless

After performing on Tuesday night, Dewan praised Bersten for rising to the occasion with only “two-and-a-half days” to learn the routine.

“You were so amazing and your heart was present the entire time,” Dewan told him. “And, listen, we made it happen, and we enjoyed ourselves. It was beautiful. I’m proud of it.”

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Bersten credited Chmerkovskiy for choreographing their routine and remaining flexible throughout the process, noting, “Obviously, Jenna is Val’s partner and so we were in communication. He was like, ‘Change whatever you want, do whatever you want, just enjoy.’ So we had a lot of back-and-forth.”

Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.

on Entertainment Weekly

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