Val Chmerkovskiy Says Dancing With the Stars Needs Fewer Politicians—Here’s Why
Keep the politicians off the parquet. Dancing With the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy told Us Weekly he wants fewer politicians in the ballroom, sharing his wish list at Jennie Garth and iHeartPodcast’s I Choose Me live summit in Burbank.
Val Chmerkovskiy would like fewer press briefings and more paso dobles on Dancing With the Stars. And honestly, fair.
Val keeps it simple: less politics, more dancing
While attending Jennie Garth and iHeartPodcast's 'I Choose Me' live summit at the iHeartRadio Theatre in Burbank, California, on Saturday, April 25, the DWTS pro told Us Weekly exactly who he does not want to see on the ballroom floor going forward.
'Less politicians.'
From there, he got into why: he loves that the show brings people together in a world that spends most of its time pulling us apart. In his view, the dancing is the delivery system; the point is the mix of ages and viewpoints all watching the same thing, no purity tests required. As he put it, nobody needs to know who anyone votes for — the goal is two hours a week where families just enjoy the show and forget the noise.
DWTS has danced with controversy before
The franchise has never been shy about booking polarizing figures. Past contestants with political baggage include:
- Rick Perry, former Texas Governor
- Tucker Carlson, former Fox News host
- Sean Spicer, former White House press secretary
When Spicer landed on Season 28 back in 2019, Val told People his first reaction was calling his brother to say, 'Yo, Sean Spicer's on the cast!' But he also pointed to the rest of that wildly mixed lineup — Ray Lewis, Lamar Odom, Christie Brinkley, Hannah Brown — as the secret sauce. You do not have to agree with or even follow any of them for the show to work. That is the point for him: dance is inclusive, and the ballroom is not in the business of judging people for their past.
Reading the casting tea leaves
Val also expects the show to keep swinging for the fences on the next lineup, saying he is anticipating some big names after Season 33 went viral. Translation: do not be surprised if the cast looks extra headline-ready.
Would he dance with Ciara Miller? Yep.
On the Bravo side of the universe, Val is very open to partnering with Summer House's Ciara Miller — yes, amid the mess where her ex West Wilson and her former best friend Amanda Batula revealed their not-so-platonic relationship had quietly turned romantic without Ciara knowing. He is game to foxtrot with Ciara if the producers make that match, and he also gave a nod to 'Maura' as 'very lovely' if she is in the mix too. No promises on either — and to hear Val tell it, pros do not really get a say anyway.
He compared partner assignments to a kind of quiet dating or even an arranged setup: whoever casting pairs him with, he is locked in. His guarantee is the same every season — full attention, full effort, and he will empty the tank for his partner, whoever it is.