ABC Val Chmerkovskiy Says Season 30 of "Dancing With the Stars" was "probably" his last.
Val Chmerkovskiy has been a staple on “Dancing With the Stars” for many years, but that might all come to an end after season 30 wraps up on November 22, 2021.
After being eliminated from the show, Chmerkovskiy looked back on the season and talked about whether he’d be returning for season 31 while guest co-hosting an episode of “Entertainment Tonight,” per ET Online. He did say that he does love being on the show, he’s just not sure if he’ll be up for coming back again.
“I’ve always been very clear about coming back on the show,” he said during the show. “I love being on it. I am so grateful for the opportunity, is this my last season? Probably. Probably. I have no regrets about my tenure on the show. I have no regrets about the season.”
He added, “I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to end it with.”
Chmerkovskiy Is Not Ruling Out a Return
Chmerkovskiy did say that he’s not positive he won’t be returning because “Life is dynamic.”
“There’s no burned bridges, there’s nothing but gratitude, again, with the production, with the show,” he added. “I hope I’ve served the show and this show has definitely changed my life, so it’s mutual love and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
Chmerkovskiy has been a fixture on the show since 2006, though he did not get his first female partner as a professional dancer until 2011. He has won the show twice, and he does plan on continuing to dance.
He and his brother, Maks Chmerkovskiy, currently run their Dance Fitness App Dance & Co, and they also go on tour around the country once in awhile, so Val will definitely be staying busy during his time away from the show.
Chmerkovskiy Told Fans He’d Retire
Chmerkovskiy has been teasing his retirement from “Dancing With the Stars” since earlier in the season, when he DM’d a fan to tell them he wasn’t sure he’d be around next season.
A screenshot of Chmerkovskiy’s direct messages to one fan on Instagram were screenshotted and posted to Twitter, and in the message to his fan, Chmerkovskiy seemingly confirms the rumors of his upcoming retirement.
“The support of the fam means so much to me,” he wrote. “The energy has been insane and I’m so humbled and grateful. I haven’t felt this in a LONG TIME. I really appreciate everyone, and tbh the love is making me really sad about this being my last one. Love you guys! Please pass that on.”
Fans were not sure if they should believe him about his retirement, as some thought that he was actually lying because he wanted fans to vote him and his partner through to the finale and would be more likely to do so if he was retiring.
He also appeared on Olivia Jade’s podcast “Conversations With Olivia Jade,” and he also talked about retiring there, giving some more credibility to the idea that this could be his last season of the show.
Now that he seemingly confirmed that he would not be returning after he was voted off the show, however, that argument is much harder to put forth.
“Dancing With the Stars” airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern (live) and Pacific (recorded) on ABC.
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