Heavy/Getty/ABC Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy.
“Dancing With the Stars” pro dancers Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy received a huge professional honor. On July 16, the married DWTS couple received a joint Emmy Awards nomination for one of the most special dances they’ve ever choreographed, and they were showered with congratulatory messages from fans and famous friends.
According to Deadline, the couple received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Choreography For Variety Or Reality Programming. The 76th Emmy Awards will air on September 15, 2024 on ABC.
The routine Johnson and Chmerkovskiy were nominated for was the “Moon River” waltz they created as a tribute to late DWTS judge Len Goodman last fall. A second routine, the “La Vie en Rose” waltz, was season 32 winner Xochtil Gomez’s semi-final dance. This is the first Emmy nomination for the couple, per Emmys.com.
You can see the exact moment Johnson and Chmerkovskiy found out about their Emmy nod below:
Per Deadline, Johnson, 30, and Chmerkovskiy, 38, are up against Alison Faulk and Kiki Nyemchek (“Dick Van Dyke 98 Years Of Magic”); Mandy Moore (The Oscars routines “I’m Just Ken” and In Memoriam); Jamal Sims (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”); and Karla Puno Garcia (76th Annual Tony Awards opening number and Lifetime Achievements segment).
Val Chmerkovskiy Already Feels Like a Winner
Just after the 2024 Emmy nominations were announced, Chmerkovskiy posted to Instagram to share the news with followers—and give a major shout-out to his wife of five years.
“Emmy nominated! 🏆” Chmerkovskiy captioned the announcement. “Jenna Johnson is one of the most gifted choreographers I’ve ever seen create. Worked her butt off, behind the scenes, unrecognized for years. To finally see her name getting recognition as the brilliant and hardworking choreographer she is, truly is the win for me. “
The Ukrainian-American dancer added that he already feels like he has won. “My trophy is her being my wife, my partner, the mother of our child together,” Chmerkovskiy wrote of Johnson. “As a fellow professional, I couldn’t be more proud to share this incredible accomplishment and nomination with her. @jennajohnson #Emmys #Choreography.”
Johnson replied to her husband’s post with a series of loudly crying face emoji: “😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 .”
Chmerkovskiy’s older brother Maksin was also quick to comment: “ LETS GOOOOOOO!!!! 👏👏👏,” he wrote.
The couple’s sister-in-law Peter Murgatroyd added: “Woohoo!! ❤️❤️❤️ so happy for you guys! “
“YES👏👏👏👏👏 So deserved!!!!!!” wrote fellow pro Lindsay Arnold.
“Congratulations guys xoxox,” added Kym Johnson Herjavec.
Six-time Mirrorball champion turned judge Derek Hough reshared a video of the dance with a message to his co-stars. “Congratulations to @valentin and @jennajohnson on your Emmy nomination for this beautiful piece honoring our beloved Len Goodman,” Hough wrote. “This heartfelt tribute will forever be a special moment in @dancingwiththestars history.”
The Dance Was a ‘Love Letter’ to Len Goodman
There was not a dry eye in the ballroom when the supersized tribute dance was performed on ‘Dancing with the Stars” in October 2023.
Goodman was head judge on DWTS from 2005 until 2022. He was honored six months after his death from bone cancer with a star-studded dance sequence during season 32.
Eight veteran pro dancers returned to the ballroom alongside current pros to perform the special dance choreographed by Chmerkovskiy and Johnson. The dance was set to the Henry Mancini classic “Moon River.” The returning dancers were Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Tony Dovolani, Kym Johnson-Herjavec, Edyta Śliwińska, Karina Smirnoff, Anna Trebunskaya, Louis van Amstel, and Mark Ballas, according to People magazine.
The tribute dance started with DWTS siblings Derek and Julianne Hough on the dance floor. The other DWTS couples soon joined in for the beautifully choreographed waltz. At the end of the elegant routine, Goodman’s voice was heard saying, “All good things must come to an end.” A camera panned to DWTS judges Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba as they looked toward the now-empty chair that Goodman once sat in. The two judges then wept and hugged.
At the time, Johnson posted to Instagram to describe the routine as a “love letter to Len Goodman 🎩.” She also thanked DWTS executive producers Deena Katz and Conrad Green for “trusting” her and Chmerkovskiy with such a “sacred piece.”
“Forever honored to have been asked to create it,” Johnson wrote.
She also thanked Derek Hough for choosing the perfect piece of music for Goodman’s tribute.
“To the DANCERS 🥹 We did it! We were a united front with the same purpose and intention… make our dear Len proud! Thank you for your insane talents and camaraderie during this process. What a beautiful moment we get to share forever,” she added.