Producer BBC Studios announced Saturday that Val Chmerkovskiy will not participate in next week's episode of 'Dancing with the Stars,' a one-week suspension that outlets report is the first time in the show's 35-season history a pro dancer has been suspended.

'The well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable,' the studio said. 'Val's social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show.'

The punishment lands on the October 20 'Dedication Night' episode, according to USA Today.

The controversy traces to the night after the show's first 'Super Bowl Night,' when judge Carrie Ann Inaba read aloud the definition of a lift and criticized Chmerkovskiy's wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, for an illegal lift in her samba with Harry Shum Jr. Chmerkovskiy then posted a since-deleted TikTok Story reading, 'You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,' a reference many outlets and fans interpreted as invoking Will Smith's 2022 Oscars slap of Chris Rock, which came after Smith told Rock to keep his wife's name out of his mouth.

Inaba responded with her own since-deleted Instagram post asking, 'So this is what we are doing now?'

The pivotal artifact was not a performance but a post: a screenshot-verified TikTok Story in which Chmerkovskiy wrote 'You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,' deleted within hours but already circulating widely.

Page Six notes the post came beneath another comment reading, 'Put some respect on her name. She's trippin' talking to her like that.'

After apologizing publicly on Instagram Thursday, Chmerkovskiy issued a fuller statement through his rep after the suspension news.

'In a moment where my instinct was to defend my wife, I made a poor decision to reference a meme to keep my wife's name out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention,' he said.

He added that 'Carrie Ann certainly didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment,' apologized to his partner Jenna Dewan for becoming a distraction, and asked fans to support the cast during Dedication Night.

Fan reaction has been sharply divided, per Yahoo/Closer Weekly: some X users called the show's response excessive — 'The show coddling staff for a dumb joke is pathetic' — while others backed the suspension, with one writing, 'I'm so tired of men making jokes about violence against women they don't like.'

Reddit commenters largely supported the punishment, one noting, 'I didn't think he would see any real consequences.' Meanwhile, Daily Mail insiders report the cast and crew are also split, with some feeling a reprimand would have sufficed, and say Inaba 'was furious.

Livid' and demanded consequences beyond an apology.

Chmerkovskiy's celebrity partner Jenna Dewan will instead dance with pro Alan Bersten, who was eliminated in Week 3 alongside Giada De Laurentiis, in a performance dedicated to Dewan's mother.

The fallout continues beyond the ballroom: USA Today reports Chmerkovskiy's brother Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd publicly disputed Inaba's lift ruling on 'The Viall Files,' with Maksim saying, 'Carrie Ann, get some consistency.'

Daily Mail sources also worry the drama derailed Jenna Johnson's shot at winning the season. The Oct.