Maks Chmerkovskiy Issues Public Apology to Jan Ravnik After ‘DWTS’ Backlash

Former Dancing with the Stars pro Maks Chmerkovskiy has taken to social media to apologize to Season 34 pro Jan Ravnik.

During the October 24 episode of The Penthouse With Peta podcast, hosted by his wife and fellow DWTS alum Peta Murgatroyd, Chmerkovskiy shared his blunt take on Ravnik’s casting.

Season 34 was Ravnik’s first with Dancing with the Stars. He and his partner, Jen Affleck, were eliminated at the end of the Halloween episode, which aired on October 28. Before joining the show, Ravnik was a dancer on Taylor Swift’sEras Tour.

During Murgatroyd’s podcast, Chmerkovskiy suggested it was “outrageous” that Ravnik had been added to the Dancing with the Stars cast. He insisted, “Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars. There’s zero foundation, technique, quality, understanding of the partnership. It is absurd.”

Chmerkovskiy’s comments caused a lot of chaos within the Dancing with the Stars world, both with the cast and fans. On October 30, he shared a video on both his Instagram and TikTok pages with an apology to Ravnik.

The video was just over four minutes long. He began by saying, “I want to apologize to Jan for the way my words had made you feel, for hurting your feelings.”

He added there was “a lot more that I want to say,” and suggested that Ravnik meet with him personally. Chmerkovskiy said he’d like to bury the hatchet, and he felt confident that after spending time with him, Ravnik would view him differently. “Dare I say, we probably might even be friends,” he added.

Chmerkovskiy went on to explain that his commentary on dance is done without emotion, and he admitted he is “that guy.” He acknowledged there’s some ego involved at times, and he insisted that fans cannot hurt his feelings by pointing out his shortcomings.

“I’m also very aware that every single member of my family has won Dancing with the Stars more than I have. They are much better at Dancing with the Stars than me,” Chmerkovskiy noted.

He admitted that throughout his time with the show, he often struggled with how he was perceived publicly. “Fundamentally, I don’t care,” he insisted.

However, Chmerkovskiy also admitted that he made “incredible mistakes with my partners.” He acknowledged that more than once, he lost his temper with his dance partners.

Some of those issues have resurfaced after what he said about Ravnik. In his apology video, Chmerkovskiy said, “You know, it’s not like you’re saying stuff that I don’t already know.”

“I’m very honest. And I’m very, again, I told you I’m very black and white…Let’s not defend someone by attacking somebody else,” he shared.

Early commentary on Chmerkovskiy’s social media posts seemed mostly supportive.

“You don’t need to publicly do this, glad you’re making things right,” one person wrote on TikTok.

Another suggested, “I love the accountability but do it privately, I bet it will mean more.”

On Instagram, a follower wrote, “We love you Maks, you are the real deal.”

Someone else added, “I’ve always loved how blunt Maks has always been. He is who he is, but the fact that he can own it as well makes him just a great man to me!”

In the Dancing with the Stars subreddit, however, the response from fans tended to be more on the critical side.

“Maks is sorry because now he’s getting backlash and his entire character is under scrutiny. He said what he said with his whole chest, it just backfired,” one Reddit user commented.

Another Redditor wrote, “Maks is just blunt, always has been…I’m glad he apologized and hope he makes it right. Jan did the best he could and I hope he comes back!!!”

Someone else shared, “I have so many not-nice things I’d like to say to that guy. I wish he’d just be quiet. Guys like him are what’s wrong with this world.”

“He seemed more bothered by people clowning his one win than by what he said about Jan,” suggested an additional Reddit user.

This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.