“Dancing With the Stars” professional Jenna Johnson broke her nose during rehearsal the night before Monday’s live show, she revealed in an Instagram video.
“Last night I definitely broke my nose during camera blocking,” Johnson, 32, said, holding the camera close to her face to show followers the swelling. “No black eyes today, which is awesome, but if my nose looks four times the size, that’s why.”
She captioned the clip, “Salsa: 1. Jenna’s Nose: 0. Happy Show Day.” Her husband and fellow pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy commented, “1of1 still a baddie.”
Later that day, Johnson posted an Instagram Stories video showing her smiling and giving a thumbs-up from the hair and makeup chair on set, suggesting she was ready to go on despite the injury.
Johnson and her partner, actor Harry Shum Jr., 44, danced the salsa to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die with a Smile” for the show’s Grammy Night. The pair hold the season’s highest cumulative points total, which meant they were immune from the dance-off round and set to receive automatic bonus points.
The duo earned perfect scores from judges on both Disney Night and Horror Movie Night in recent weeks.
A tense stretch of the season
The injury capped a rocky run for Johnson on the show. During Super Bowl Night on Oct. 13, judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized Johnson for including a lift in her and Shum Jr.’s samba routine, set to Usher’s “Yeah!” Johnson told co-host Julianne Hough afterward that she “totally understood” the criticism.
But according to an insider, Johnson cried backstage and was comforted by Chmerkovskiy, who was described as “pissed” about the exchange. Chmerkovskiy, 40, then posted on social media referencing Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars slap of Chris Rock.
“Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show,” BBC Studios, the show’s producer, said in a statement, adding that he would “not participate in next week’s show.”
Chmerkovskiy later apologized to Inaba, saying he “deeply” regretted the post. Inaba said in her own statement that she and Johnson “hugged it out” and “worked through the moment.” Chmerkovskiy and Inaba went on to have what was described as a “cathartic” on-air conversation during Horror Movie Night on Oct. 27.
