Former Dancing With the Stars pro Maks Chmerkovskiy is weighing in after Alan Bersten stood in for Val Chmerkovskiy on Dedication Night.
“I mean, Alan stepped in for me at some point as well, so I’m very familiar with Alan stepping in,” Maks, 46, exclusively told Us ahead of the 2026 Dancers Against Cancer’s Gala of the Stars at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 22. “He did a great job. I think everybody can move on.”
News broke on Saturday, October 17, that Val, 40, would not perform with partner Jenna Dewan on season 35’s Dedication Night after he made a controversial comment toward judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who called out a lift in Jenna Johnson‘s Super Bowl Night samba with Harry Shum Jr. Val defended his wife via social media — claiming in a since-deleted post that he almost went “Fresh Prince” on Inaba, 58 — before issuing a public apology.
As Val’s suspension made headlines, Us confirmed Bersten, 32, would be stepping in for the Tuesday, October 20, episode. He joined Dewan, 45, for a smooth Viennese waltz dedicated to her mother, Nancy Smith, with the actress earning her first 10 of the season.
“[Val and I] were in communication,” Bersten told Good Morning America on Tuesday about preparing for the routine on such short notice. “And he was like, ‘Change whatever you want. Do whatever you want. Just enjoy.’ So we had a lot of back and forth.”
While Bersten’s involvement raised some eyebrows — DWTS alum Gleb Savchenko was particularly vocal about the choice before Tuesday’s show — it’s not the first time he’s covered for a fellow pro.
Back in 2017, Bersten filled in for Maks, who suffered a calf injury during rehearsals. Then a member of the troupe, Bersten joined Heather Morris for four weeks of the 24th season while Maks recovered.
Bersten stepped in for Maks once again during season 25, dancing with Vanessa Lachey as Maks dealt with a “personal issue.”
Years later, during season 31, Bersten performed with Gabby Windey on Halloween Night after Val, her original partner, tested positive for COVID.
Following his brief suspension, Val is expected to return to the ballroom with Dewan as season 35 continues. While Maks has been tuning in to the competition, he told Us on Thursday he’s never voted for anyone on the show — “not even for myself.”
Maks was joined by a handful of DWTS alums at Thursday’s event, including Sasha Farber, Kym Johnson-Herjavec and former contestant Hilaria Baldwin.
“I’ve known these people for many, many years, and it’s very personal. And I love that now this type of room is full of people that I’m very close with because we kind of all made it together, and that makes me very happy, very proud, very proud of us,” Maks told Us. “I think I’m mostly excited about the end result of tonight when we announce how much we raised [to support dancers battling cancer].”
Maks was also looking forward to spending the evening with icons Janet Jackson and Missy Elliott. “I mean, that’s insane,” he said. “I don’t care how much I’ve done and how much access I’ve had in the last 20 years being here, I’m lucky. I’m blessed. It’s never gonna be old.”
