The View Hosts Criticize Dancing With the Stars Drama

The View cohosts criticized the public dispute surrounding Dancing With the Stars after professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy received a one-episode suspension following social media remarks about judge Carrie Ann Inaba. During Monday's episode of the ABC daytime talk show, the panel discussed the controversy involving Inaba's criticism of Chmerkovskiy's wife, fellow professional dancer Jenna Johnson, and questioned why the disagreement had escalated publicly.

The dispute began after Inaba used a sheet of paper during a live broadcast to explain why Johnson had performed an illegal lift. Chmerkovskiy subsequently responded on social media in a post that was later deleted. His remarks prompted further discussion involving Inaba and others, leading to his suspension from the competition for one episode.

Sunny Hostin criticized the handling of the disagreement during the Hot Topics segment, describing Inaba's explanation of the lift as excessive in her assessment.

Hostin said Inaba "was a lot," expressing her view of the judge's on-air response to Johnson's performance.

Whoopi Goldberg questioned why Chmerkovskiy had not addressed the matter privately instead of taking it to social media.

"Why didn't he just call her?" Goldberg asked.

Goldberg then challenged the tendency to make personal disagreements public.

"Why does everybody have to put everything on social media?" Goldberg asked.

She suggested that a direct conversation could have clarified the criticism without involving a wider audience.

"Call her up on the phone, and say, 'What kind of lift are we talking about, here?' Instead of going to the public." Goldberg said.

Hostin noted that Chmerkovskiy had worked on the show for many years and could have approached Inaba privately.

Hostin said he had "been on that show for years and years and years," emphasizing that his experience offered an opportunity to resolve the disagreement directly.

She added that he could have spoken to Inaba in her dressing room and explained his objection to the criticism of his wife.

Hostin said he could have asked, "Can I talk to you about the way you criticized my wife? I thought it was excessive."

She warned that disagreements can "wrong" when participants engage in "this public back-and-forth," referring to the continuing responses after Chmerkovskiy's initial post referenced the 2022 Oscars incident in which Will Smith slapped host Chris Rock.

Alyssa Farah Griffin expressed concern about the impact of the suspension on Chmerkovskiy's celebrity dance partner, Jenna Dewan, who was identified in the discussion as his partner on the competition series.

"I feel bad for Jenna Dewan," Griffin said.

Griffin explained that the disruption could affect the pair's preparation, although she acknowledged Dewan's professional dancing experience.

"You get used to practicing with somebody. She's also a professional dancer and is going to be fine, but it does kind of throw off the game," Griffin said.

Ana Navarro, meanwhile, said she was unfamiliar with the show's participants and displayed a diagram prepared by a producer to help identify its professional dancers and celebrity contestants.

"I don't know who these people are," Navarro said.

Navarro also connected her refusal to follow the program to a separate ABC-related controversy involving Guillermo Rodriguez, a sidekick on Jimmy Kimmel Live. She said she was unhappy about his removal after he danced to Bad Bunny.

"Since they got rid of Guillermo last week after he danced to Bad Bunny, I am boycotting this thing," Navarro said.

She continued by expressing support for Rodriguez and Latino representation.

"I want to know nothing. On behalf of fat Latinos everywhere, I'm standing up for Guillermo!" Navarro said.

Chmerkovskiy addressed his suspension in an Instagram statement, acknowledging that his response had been poorly judged and explaining that he had intended to defend his wife.

"Hi everyone. As you may have seen in the news, I won't be in the ballroom this week," Chmerkovskiy wrote.

He explained that his reference to a meme was intended to keep attention away from his wife but that he had failed to consider the broader implications.

"In a moment where my instinct was to defend my wife, I made a poor decision to reference a meme to 'keep my wife's name' out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention. Carrie Ann certainly didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and hate that she was," Chmerkovskiy wrote.

BBC Studios, the production company behind Dancing With the Stars, defended its decision by emphasizing workplace standards and the responsibility of people associated with the program.

"The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable," the company said.

The production company also explained its position on Chmerkovskiy's online remarks.

"Val's social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show," BBC Studios said.

The disagreement adds to a history of The View cohosts criticizing other programs on ABC. Goldberg previously drew attention in 2023 when she described American Idol during its original run on Fox as "the downfall of society." Navarro has also objected to Hot Topics discussions centered on shows she dislikes, including installments of ABC's Bachelor franchise.

The View airs weekdays on ABC, while Dancing With the Stars continues on Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+.