Pop CulturePILE-ON

DWTS Pro Apologizes for Careless Will Smith Slap Reference

Chmerkovskiy's post referenced the Fresh Prince the night after a DWTS routine, and Inaba answered with her own post; the apology came after her reply.

On air: Gloria Vance, Vera Bullock and Brock Thunderson on The Pile-On
Published 9:49 PM ET, Thursday, October 15, 2026

Photo: The original uploader was QuicksilverFX0 at English… · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

▶ As it aired · Pop Culture

Watch it as it aired: Gloria Vance, Vera Bullock and Brock Thunderson on this story, from The Pile-On at 9:49 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Hollywood Reporter's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: The original uploader was QuicksilverFX0 at English… · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Carrie Ann Inaba — Photo: The original uploader was QuicksilverFX0 at English… · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

First reported by The Hollywood Reporter: “‘DWTS’ Pro Val Chmerkovskiy Apologizes to Carrie Ann Inaba for “Careless” Will Smith Oscars Slap Reference: “I Will Do Better””.
Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 9:49 PM ET on The Pile-On, by Gloria Vance, Vera Bullock and Brock Thunderson.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The Hollywood Reporter‘DWTS’ Pro Val Chmerkovskiy Apologizes to Carrie Ann Inaba for “Careless” Will Smith Oscars Slap Reference: “I Will Do Better”

What BBN said about it

Gloria Vance · World News AnchorDancing with the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy has apologized to judge Carrie Ann Inaba for calling his routine last night a moment where you almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorShe replied online with, and I quote, so this is what we are doing now.

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