Getty/Heavy Val Chmerkovskiy.
Val Chmerkovskiy posted a new family photo just shy of his son’s eight-month birthday. The “Dancing With the Stars” pro welcomed a baby boy on January 10, 2023, with his wife Jenna Johnson.
In a photo posted to Instagram on August 23, 2023, baby Rome Valentin Chmerkovskiy was seen posing with his proud papa as well as his grandfather, Aleksandr Chmerkovskiy. But it was the littlest Chmerkovskiy who stole the spotlight.
Here’s what you need to know:
Val Chmerkovskiy’s Family Photo With His Dad & Son Sparked a Big Reaction From Fans
In the photo shared to Val’s social media page, the DWTS pro dancer was laying on a blanket outdoors with Rome next to him and his dad Aleksandr on the baby’s other side. While the elder Chmerkovskiy men both smiled and squinted their eyes, the wide-eyed baby boy was staring straight at the camera
“fathers + 2 sons = 3 Chmerkovskiy’s,” Val captioned the too-cute pic.
Fans reacted in the comment section to react to the handsome trio.
“Three blessed generations ❤️,” one commenter wrote.
“If this isn’t the cutest 3Gen picture 🥹🥰 I hope this gets framed !!” another wrote.
“Adorable! You gotta frame this Kodak moment!! 3 generations!🥹💙,” another added.
Val & His Brother Maksim Chmerkovskiy Want to Be the Same Kind of Parent Their Father Is
Val has talked about how much he admires his father. Before Rome was born, the pro dancer told Entertainment Tonight he couldn’t “wait” to be a father and that he is a reflection of his own parents’ hard work.
He also told the outlet that fatherhood is a role “where I’ll truly do my very best.”
“You’ll see me at my best is when I’m hopefully serving as a father to someone,” he said at the time. “I can’t wait to be a father, had a great father — still have a great father.”
According to People, patriarch Aleksandr immigrated his family out of Russia when Val was eight years old, following the fall of the USSR. The family moved to New York City and ran out of money in less than a year.
“My dad had two college degrees but came here and was boxing pizzas,” Val told the outlet in 2017. “He was willing to pay his dues for the opportunity to live here and breathe this air.”
Val’s older brother Maksim has also talked about how his father inspired the kind of parent he wanted to be. Maks, who is father to kids Shai and Rio with wife Peta Murgatroyd, told OK magazine that he considers his father to be his greatest role model.
“He’s not just a mentor and somebody that I look up to, but he’s also someone whom I took work ethic and determination and all of those qualities from,” Maks said.
“If you ask my brother, he’s everything to us,” Maks added. “He’s the most amazing dad that one can have, and we’re incredibly grateful for everything that he and mom did for us We grew up with a lot of respect towards our parents.”
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