Val Chmerkovskiy is back. The "Dancing With the Stars" pro returned to the ballroom floor with celebrity partner Jenna Dewan on the October 27 episode, a week after being suspended — the first formal suspension of a professional dancer in the show's history, according to TV Insider.

The trouble started when judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized a lift in a dance Chmerkovskiy's wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, performed with partner Harry Shum Jr. Chmerkovskiy responded with a social media comment about Inaba that appeared to reference Will Smith's 2022 Oscars slap of Chris Rock — a post he later deleted, according to Pajiba's account of the fallout. The show suspended him for its October 20 "Dedication Night" episode, during which Dewan performed instead with fellow pro Alan Bersten.

THE FIRST PRO EVER FORMALLY SUSPENDED IN THE SHOW'S HISTORY

Chmerkovskiy has since apologized to Inaba, and the two were seen on camera sharing a warm moment backstage after his return, with Johnson and Inaba also hugging in behind-the-scenes footage circulated by the show, per TV Insider's follow-up report. Fox News' entertainment desk, which first covered the suspension, noted producers treated the one-week benching as a serious disciplinary step rather than a storyline stunt.

The episode drew extra attention to a season already under a magnifying glass for its judging controversies. For Chmerkovskiy, a nearly two-decade veteran of the ballroom, the suspension marked an unusually public stumble in a career otherwise defined by Mirrorball wins and fan loyalty — and his quick return suggests the show has moved past it, at least for now.