ABC Val Chmerkovskiy
Professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy has revealed what is next for him if he does retire from “Dancing With the Stars” — no surprise, it involves his brother and fellow “Dancing With the Stars” alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Read on to find out what he has in mind and also what this season meant to him.
Val Wants to Expand His Brand and Tour More
In an interview with “Extra,” Val and his season 30 partner Olivia Jade were asked what is next for them after “Dancing With the Stars.” Olivia said she’ll continue to do her YouTube channel and her new podcast, “Conversations With Olivia Jade,” but she also teased a new top-secret project that is in the works.
“There’s something else in the works that I’m not really allowed to talk about, unfortunately, but something really exciting coming soon,” said Olivia.
For Val, he has said that season 30 was “probably” his last season on “Dancing With the Stars.” He first started on the show as a pro partner back in season 13, making him the second-longest tenured pro currently on the show behind Cheryl Burke.
Val revealed that he wants to continue to expand his dance brand. He and brother Maks currently work for Dance and Co, plus they launched their own tour in 2021 called “Maks & Val: Stripped Down.”
“I just got off a tour wtih my brother Maks this summer straight into this season [of ‘Dancing With the Stars’]. It was a very successful tour. I got to script it, write it, produce it, perform in it, obviously. It was a two-man show, which was awesome to do with your brother,” said Val, adding, “We are going to continue to expand on that brand. Can’t wait to continue to dance, perform, act, host.”
The “Stripped Down” tour billed itself as “a unique experience that will bring you closer to the boys than ever before; an intimate evening packed with breathtaking dancing, deeply personal storytelling, and world class showmanship true to the Chmerkovskiy name. Maks and Val will have you laughing, crying, then laughing again. An up close and personal show sharing their most revealing stories like only they can.”
There is no word yet on if the brothers will be touring again in 2022. But neither Val nor his wife Jenna Johnson has been announced for the official “Dancing With the Stars” tour, so that may indicate the Chmerkovskiy brothers will be back out on the road.
Val Also Said He Is ‘Grateful’ For Season 30 & Olivia Jade
Also in the “Extra” interview, Val said that getting “three months of hanging out with a pretty cool young woman that’s gonna do a lot of great things in life” was a reward for him even if they didn’t win the Mirrorball Trophy.
“I’m just grateful that I got a chance to have even a tiny bit of a part to play in this journey,” said Val.
Olivia added, “Way more than a tiny bit! Huge. Huge part. I can’t even put into words, so, don’t wanna get too mushy.”
“I’m excited to see what she does next,” added Val.
He also said that he is going to miss all of the behind-the-scenes things that viewers don’t necessarily get to see on the show.
He elaborated:
The thing that people see at home is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s a lot of excitement, but what they don’t see — when you have a really good partner and a good teammate and a great friend, is all the hours of showing up and rehearsal and all the hours that goes between the stuff they see on TV. That was a pleasure, to collaborate on costumes, to talk about hair and makeup and ‘do you like how you look?’ ‘I love how I look’ and feeling that you’re creaiting for someone that is just so excited and grateful to be here is really fulfilling. I’m gonna miss all of that. I think she really embodied everything this show is about and I’m really happy that she did it.
As for Val’s wife and fellow “Dancing With the Stars” pro Jenna, who just took home second place on season 30, she has said that she supports Val either way — whether he retires or stays on the show. But she’s not going anywhere. She told “Entertainment Tonight” that she’ll be on “Dancing With the Stars” for as long as the show will have her.
“Dancing With the Stars” has not yet been renewed for season 31. If it is renewed, it will return in September 2022.