Karina Smirnoff Shares Rare Photos of Son Theo at Halloween Display

Karina Smirnoff

Getty Karina Smirnoff.

Karina Smirnoff shared rare photos of her toddler son, Theo Gabriel, on Instagram.

The former Dancing with the Stars pro dancer gave birth to her baby boy in March 2020, according to People. At the time, an insider said that the pro dancer was “already head over heels in love” and “excited for the next journey” as a mom.

Smirnoff, who won the “DWTS” mirrorball trophy with J.R. Martinez in 2011, has been private about her personal life over the past few years. She was previously engaged to fellow pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy and MLB player Brad Penny. The father of her child is Justinas Duknauskas, according to The Daily Mail.


Karina Smirnoff Posted Photos from Haunt ‘O Ween With Her Son

In a post shared on her Instagram page on October 2, 2022, Smirnoff gave fans an updated look at her son, who is now more than two years old. The photos showed the mom and son at the interactive Haunt ‘O Ween display in Woodland Hills, California.

According to Entertainment Tonight, the Haunt ‘O Ween display spans over 200,000 square feet and features rides, games, live music, character performers, pumpkin carving, dancing, and more. 2022 marks the pop-up’s third year in California.

In a slideshow of pics shared to her page, Smirnoff posed next to her boy by a sign that pointed to “Witch House” and other pitstops at Haunt ‘O Ween. A video showed Theo all smiles as he looked around at the lights and music during the display. Other photos showed the two in a makeshift cave, as well as a faux graveyard that appeared more colorful than scary.

“This was AMAZING! We had so much fun!” Smirnoff captioned the photos. “@hauntoween @experientialsuplyco.”

Fans reacted to the new photos of Smirnoff’s rarely-seen son.

“Oh my goodness…your Theo is just adorable!! You look very happy and are blessed,” one follower wrote.

“Omg Theo so grown up and sooooo cute,” another agreed.

“Karina, your baby is so darn adorable. Can’t believe how big he is already. So glad you posted him,“ another fan chimed in.


Karina Smirnoff Rarely Posts Photos of Her Son

Fans know that Smirnoff waited a long time for motherhood. The pro dancer was 41-years-old when she gave birth to her son. In 2014, Smirnoff told ABC News that she froze her eggs in her mid-30s so she could control her plans for motherhood.

“My profession is dancing,” she said at the time. “I’ve been concentrating on my career for a long time. And I love what I do. But I know I want to be a mother one day.”  Smirnoff added that freezing her eggs  made her feel “empowered by the fact that you were able to give yourself an opportunity to not have to worry about your biological clock.”

But once she did become a mother, Smirnoff was careful about how much she shared with fans. Since Theo’s birth, she has only shared a handful of photos of him with fans.

According to People, Theo was seven months old before Smirnoff posted a picture of his full face. The occasion was the 2020 Presidential election, where she took her son to the voting booth with her to cast her ballot. A smiling Theo wore an “I voted’ sticker in the pic.

“My everything!” Smirnoff captioned the photo.

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