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Carrie Ann Inaba and Val Chmerkovskiy made amends during a “cathartic” conversation in the “Dancing with the Stars” ballroom on Tuesday.
Following the “Horror Movie Night” live show, the duo could be seen closely chatting and holding hands at the judges’ table, before they hugged each other, in an an Instagram video shared by People.
Inaba, 58, then turned to the audience and said, “So everyone’s staring. We are coworkers and we are completely cordial.”
“We are good, okay?” she added.
Chmerkovskiy, 40, told People that he “felt cathartic relief” after speaking with Inaba following his one-week suspension.
“I think it was just really important for me to make sure that she feels safe and knows that, firsthand from me, I want nothing but love for her,” the professional dancer explained.
Chmerkovskiy insisted that regardless of what “the world” says, he wants “nothing but joy” for Inaba and for her to know how he “genuinely feels.”
“I will have nothing but love for Carrie Ann,” he added. “I have nothing but respect for what she has to say.”
Chmerkovskiy returned to the ballroom Tuesday night after he was banned for one week for his inappropriate social media behavior directed at Inaba.
During the show’s “Super Bowl Night” on Oct. 13, Inaba and Chmerkovskiy’s wife and fellow pro, Jenna Johnson, clashed over a lift during Johnson and her partner Harry Shum Jr.’s samba.
Johnson, 32, reportedly “broke down” backstage following the tense exchange while Chmerkovskiy shared a social media post referencing Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap.
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” he wrote in a now-deleted TikTok post following Inaba’s harsh critique of his wife.
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Chmerkovskiy apologized after the post sparked backlash, but was suspended from “Dedication Night” last week, leaving his partner, Jenna Dewan, to perform a Viennese waltz with pro Alan Bersten.
When Chmerkovskiy returned to rehearsals for “Horror Movie Night,” he apologized to Dewan, 45, “for all the chaos.”
“You did not sign up for that, and I feel awful,” he told the “Step Up” actress.
Inaba, for her part, addressed the controversy on Instagram over the weekend, revealing that she and Johnson “hugged it out” after her critique.
“Jenna was an absolute professional about it, and two women worked through the moment,” Inaba added. “It came to my attention later that Jenna was deeply hurt. So I also offered to speak with her at any time.”
Inaba also advocated for the introduction of a lift rule for next season, noting the ABC series “has evolved tremendously” since it premiered in 2005.
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