Maksim Chmerkovskiy has apologized on Instagram to fellow Dancing with the Stars pro Jan Ravnik after getting a lot of criticism for his harsh dance review. Maksim’s first comments on his wife Peta Murgatroyd’s podcast were about Jan’s dance style and whether or not he should be on the reality TV dance show. The comments also implied that Jan’s famous partner, Jen Affleck, was at a big disadvantage because Jan didn’t know how to do “foundation technique” or how to work with a partner.
Fans and even Maksim’s brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, quickly spoke out against the comments, calling them “incredibly hurtful.” Maksim said he was sorry for hurting Jan’s feelings and offered to meet with her privately to talk about the problem and come to an agreement.
Maksim said that his criticism was only technical and not personal. He said that his personality was straightforward and black-and-white. He was upset with how the public reacted emotionally and defended his blunt way of commenting. Maksim thought about his past and admitted that he lost his temper on the show and that it was hard to deal with how people saw him in a voting-based reality show.
He told fans and critics not to make personal attacks and to focus on having a good conversation instead. Maksim also said that pros should respect each other instead of attacking one another to defend another.
This apology is a big deal in the ongoing relationship between DWTS professionals and fans. It shows how hard it is to give technical criticism in a very emotional public space.
