Jenna Dewan fired back at a social media critic who blamed her personality for her “Dancing With the Stars” ouster.
The actress, 45, dropped a biting remark in the comments of an Instagram video that called her a “know-it-all” and claimed that trait cost her a spot in the semifinals. “If I knew it all, I probably would’ve known I was going home,” she wrote, according to the since-deleted clip. She added a softer postscript to the user, who had filmed herself dancing in front of horse stables: “P.S. Beautiful horse.”
Dewan did not engage with the video‘s harsher charges. The same user had declared that Dewan had “zero chemistry” with pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy, 40, and was “so hard to relate to” for viewers at home.
The exchange came after Dewan and Chmerkovskiy were eliminated at the close of Tuesday’s “Grammy Night” episode, just one week shy of the Season 35 semifinals. Their departure stunned the ballroom after the pair had actually won their cha-cha dance-off against Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, earning two bonus points on top of the 28 out of 30 they had scored for their jazz routine to Janet Jackson’s “All for You.”
That Jackson number carried special weight for Dewan, who spent her pre-fame years as a backup dancer for the pop icon. She channeled that history into the performance, yet it was not enough to save her from the combined judges’ scores and viewer votes that determine eliminations.
Speaking with Extra after the episode, Dewan pointed to outside forces that may have swayed the outcome. “This was a particularly tough week,” she said. “I’ll never know how or if any of that plays into this, but I know that we went out there and had the best time of our [lives].”
The “online noise” Dewan referenced had dogged the partnership for weeks, much of it traceable to Chmerkovskiy’s own digital footprint. During the show’s “Dedication Night” episode, the pro was handed a one-week suspension over a social media post that referenced Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap directed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba. In his absence, Dewan danced with Alan Bersten. Upon returning, Chmerkovskiy apologized to Dewan for “all the chaos” and has since reconciled with Inaba.
Despite the turbulence, Dewan emphasized the personal rewards of the competition. “Dancing again, getting to share my joy with my family, who are over there, every single night … I had a great time, and I loved getting to share that with the world,” she said after her final performance.
The “Step Up” alum and Chmerkovskiy had faced an uphill battle since the suspension episode, with their scores consistently solid but their public narrative complicated by the off-screen controversy. Their dance-off victory on Grammy Night suggested momentum, making the subsequent elimination particularly jarring for supporters in the audience.
One especially invested viewer reportedly had “smoke coming from her ears” at the result, according to accounts from the taping. The anger underscored how dramatically the pair’s fortunes had swung within a single broadcast.
Dewan’s measured clapback at the “know-it-all” accusation — deflecting with humor while refusing to validate the broader attack — fit a pattern she has maintained throughout her post-elimination media appearances. Rather than dwelling on the critique, she has steered conversations toward her gratitude for the experience.
The ABC competition continues next week with its semifinal round as remaining couples vie for the Mirrorball Trophy.