Former DWTS Pro Unleashes on Maks Chmerkovskiy in Scathing Response

Heavy/Getty Cheryl Burke calls out Maks Chmerkovskiy.

Former “Dancing With the Stars” pro Cheryl Burke has responded to Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s critical comments about her podcast.

“I believe Maks is upset because, unfortunately, a lot of his partners and even people behind the scenes who have done this podcast, they have expressed that they didn’t really have a great experience with him. And that has nothing to do with me at all,” Burke said on the October 11 episode of the “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast.

Burke went on to say that when she talks to guests about their experience with Chmerkovskiy, “nine out of ten times, they don’t really have positive things to say.”

The ballroom pro thinks Chmerkovskiy “should reflect himself on the people he may have hurt, take accountability for it, and they maybe owe them an apology,” she added.

Burke retired from DWTS after season 31. She announced her podcast, which features DWTS alumni each week, in September 2023.

Maks Chmerkovskiy Regrets Appearing on ‘Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans’

On the October 9, 2024, episode of the “Behind the Velvet Rope With David Yontef” podcast, Chmerkovskiy said that he regretted doing Burke’s podcast. He was a guest in September 2023.

“All she has about the show is just negative stuff. You know, that’s all she talks about. Like for so long and the only foundation for your conversation is negativity? The only people you get on your show are those who were wronged or feel like they were wronged and they’re there to express their wrongness or whatever,” Chmerkovskiy explained.

“You know, I also did her show. Had I known that that was the topic, not the topic, but her direction, I would never do it because I don’t want to be a part of that,” he continued.

Elsewhere in the podcast, the former DWTS pro said that Burke needs to “move on.”

“I think Cheryl needs to do a lot of soul-searching. She needs to do a lot of discovery, you know. … You got to move on. And she hasn’t,” he said.

Chmerkovskiy left “Dancing With the Stars” after season 25. His wife, Peta Murgatroyd, has competed on the show since, and his brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, and his wife, Jenna Johnson, are part of season 33.

Fans Reacted to Cheryl Burke’s Response to Maks Chmerkovskiy on Reddit

After Burke’s podcast went live, someone shared a clip on Reddit. More than 100 comments have amassed on the thread.

“Maks has literally no room to talk because he’s a very negative person too, but I do disagree with Cheryl’s point that she doesn’t attack anyone, she definitely has. But I suppose it’s their platforms and their right to say what they want,” one person wrote.

“It’s funny because both are speaking truths about each other. What he said about her is true but also what she said about him is also true lol,” someone else added.

“I actually thought her response was great. She basically called him out on his hypocrisy and told him that instead of worrying about her negativity, he needs to worry about his own because every former partner of his that she’s had on the show hasn’t had anything positive to say about him. And that’s what his real issue with the podcast is,” a third comment read.

READ NEXT: DWTS Pro Emma Slater Taken to Hospital With Ankle Injury