Dancing With the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy is paying no attention to any criticism of his hair.
“There’s nothing to talk about, [other than] the fact that I love the way it looked,” Chmerkovskiy, 40, exclusively told Us after the Tuesday, October 6, live episode of Dancing With the Stars. “I love the process of getting to know the importance of it, and I got to support a local Black business. They did a fine job, and I’m proud of everything I did.”
The three-time mirrorball champion recently revealed via social media that he styled his hair into cornrows, which quickly raised eyebrows over questions of appropriation. Chmerkovskiy, who had taken out the braids before Tuesday’s performance and denied any “issue” with the styling, further opened up to Us about navigating the backlash.
“People are people. I get so much love, and so I don’t block out the noise,” he told Us. “Listen, I’m a human. Some of the audacity people have to write things, or now make videos of things, I can’t even tell if you’re a real person or [artificial intelligence]. We live in an environment where these networks have brought us all together, but they also empowered a lot of systems at play that participate in rage bait economy, and, you know, we’re all evolving to find tools to deal with that type of noise.”
Mariah Carey Night didn’t end on a high note for one Dancing With the Stars duo. The remaining 12 couples hit the ballroom floor on Tuesday, October 6, performing to various hits by Carey, 57, from “Obsessed” to “Hero.” “Hi everyone, it’s Mariah,” the pop icon said in a video message played at the beginning […]
He continued, “I don’t think our generation was raised to be equipped for that. We were equipped for that in the real world. We’re learning how to equip ourselves in the social media world, but at the end of the day, I’m not naïve to all the love that we receive and all the sanity that I get to experience on socials.”
Chmerkovskiy didn’t let the backlash damper his night in the ballroom as he and his celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan, impressed the judges with their rumba to Mariah Carey’s “My All.”
Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Dewan perform on Mariah Carey Night on Tuesday, October 6. Disney/Ser Baffo
“We’ve worked so hard, and I think our intention really was to be grounded in the moment and show our emotions and be vulnerable, slow down, be softer and show a different side of us as a couple,” Dewan, 45, exclusively told Us of receiving a total score of 24 out of 30. “I think that to hear that be felt [by the judges] was absolutely amazing. It was the greatest feeling.”
As for Chmerkovskiy, he also witnessed the Rookie star’s self-esteem grow with the positive feedback.
Dancing With the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy has seen the feedback about his season 35 partner, Jenna Dewan — and her past dance experience — but he isn’t dwelling on the backlash. Chmerkovskiy, 40, posted an Instagram Reel on Wednesday, September 2, to celebrate the start of the hit ABC show’s latest season. “Some stuff […]
“I’ve seen her confidence be, kind of, humbled week after week,” he noted. “Well, definitely my confidence is humbled, and so, I think that’s part of the game. I think it’s important to have a little bit of an ego cleanse and have a little bit of a struggle, and it makes moments like tonight that much more triumphant, and makes me that much more proud of us. Because, without that hardship, you’re not gonna ever enjoy the true nectar of the fruits of your labor, and so, I think we really labored for the last month and a half, and tonight was kind of the culmination of that.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
