Val Chmerkovskiy has been suspended from “Dancing With the Stars” for one week following a controversial social media post referencing Will Smith’s infamous Oscars incident.

“The well-being of everyone who works on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is non-negotiable,” read a statement from producer BBC Studios. “Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show. As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”

The controversy began after judge Carrie Ann Inaba critiqued the performance of Chmerkovskiy’s wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, and her partner Harry Shum Jr., calling out what she considered an illegal lift during their samba routine. The day after the episode, Chmerkovskiy posted a since-deleted TikTok status reading, “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night”—widely interpreted as a reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife.

Fans quickly criticized the post, with many calling it a threat of violence against Inaba. Inaba herself responded on Instagram, writing, “So this is what we are doing now?”

Chmerkovskiy issued an apology on Instagram before the suspension was announced. “I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post,” he wrote. “I have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally, and I also want to apologize publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside of our internal DWTS family.”

After the suspension was confirmed, Chmerkovskiy released a second statement. “As you may have seen in the news, I won’t be in the ballroom this week,” he wrote. “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 I hate that she was,” he continued. “The last thing I want is to become a distraction from an important week or from the incredible work my dance partner Jenna Dewan is putting in.”

Chmerkovskiy’s celebrity partner Jenna Dewan will dance with pro Alan Bersten during next week’s “Dedication Night” episode. The suspension marks the first time in the show’s history that a professional dancer has been benched as discipline.