In the wake of the tense moment, Chmerkovskiy changed his TikTok status the next day to read: “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” per screenshots shared on social media.”

The 40-year-old deleted his post and later apologized for using the reference, before he received a suspension from DWTS—the first in the show’s history.

Addressing the news, Chmerkovskiy once again expressed his regret over his comments, while also sending his support to Dewan.

“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,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories Oct. 17, “without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention.”

“Please send Carrie Ann, Jenna, and the whole DWTS family lots of love during Dedication Night,” Chmerkovskiy added. “I’ll be watching and cheering everyone on!!”

For a closer look at the pairs competing for the Mirrorball Trophy on season 35 of the dance competition series, keep reading…