“Dancing With the Stars” professional Jenna Johnson told fans she broke her nose during rehearsal just hours before Monday’s live broadcast, but said she was still set to perform.
“Last night I definitely broke my nose during camera blocking,” Johnson said in an Instagram video. The 32-year-old held the camera close to show that her nose was “a little swollen,” adding, “No black eyes today, which is awesome, but if my nose looks four times the size, that’s why.”
She captioned the clip, “Salsa: 1. Jenna’s Nose: 0. Happy Show Day.” Her husband and fellow “DWTS” pro Val Chmerkovskiy commented, “1of1 ❤️ still a baddie.”
Later in the day, Johnson posted another video to her Instagram Stories showing her smiling and giving a thumbs up from the hair and makeup chair on set, signaling she was ready to go on despite the injury.
Johnson and her partner, actor Harry Shum Jr., 44, are dancing the salsa to “Die with a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars for the show’s “Grammy Night” episode. Because the pair currently hold the highest cumulative score of the season, they are immune from this round’s dance-off and will receive automatic bonus points. They earned perfect scores from the judges on both “Disney Night” and “Horror Movie Night” in recent weeks.
Backstage Tension Earlier This Season
The injury comes after a rockier stretch for the couple on the show. During “Super Bowl Night” on Oct. 13, judge Carrie Ann Inaba sharply criticized Johnson for including a lift in her and Shum Jr.’s samba routine to Usher’s “Yeah!” Johnson told co-host Julianne Hough afterward that she “totally understood” the criticism.
An insider said Johnson cried backstage following the exchange and was comforted by Chmerkovskiy, who was reportedly angered by the incident. Chmerkovskiy then posted a social media message referencing Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars slap of Chris Rock, drawing a rebuke from the show’s 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,” BBC Studios said in a statement, adding that “he will not participate in next week’s show.”
Chmerkovskiy, 40, later apologized to Inaba and said he “deeply” regretted the post. Inaba said in her own statement that the two had “hugged it out” and “worked through the moment.” The two publicly reconciled during a “cathartic” conversation in front of the live studio audience during the Oct. 27 “Horror Movie Night” broadcast.
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