Steve Kazee breaks silence after Val Chmerkovskiy’s 'DWTS' suspension

Steve Kazee has publicly supported his fiancée, Jenna Dewan, ahead of her upcoming Dancing With the Stars performance following professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy’s one-week suspension from the competition.

The actor shared a message for Dewan on Instagram Stories on October 18, praising her character and expressing confidence in her upcoming performance.

“Everytime I think I can’t love you more, your grace, your class, and your heart prove me wrong,” Kazee wrote alongside a photograph of Dewan wearing her red and black costume from last week’s paso doble. “You got this baby! We got you.”

Dewan is scheduled to perform on the October 20 episode of Dancing With the Stars without her regular professional partner, Chmerkovskiy. According to E! News, professional dancer Alan Bersten will partner with the actress for the show’s Dedication Night.

The Step Up star will perform a Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers in honour of her mother, according to People. Dewan shares son Callum, 6, and daughter Rhiannon, 2, with Kazee.

Chmerkovskiy’s suspension was announced by BBC Studios, the production company behind the ABC competition, on October 17. The decision followed a social media post in which he appeared to reference Will Smith’s infamous 2022 Oscars slap while responding to criticism of his wife, fellow professional dancer Jenna Johnson.

The controversy began after judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticised Johnson and her dance partner, Harry Shum Jr., for including a lift in their samba routine during the October 13 episode.

Chmerkovskiy subsequently deleted the post and apologised for the reference, explaining that he had intended to defend his wife but had not considered the broader implications of his remark.

Following news of his suspension, the dancer also expressed support for Dewan and encouraged viewers to send love to Inaba, Johnson and the Dancing With the Stars team ahead of Dedication Night.