Jenna Johnson is setting the record straight.
The professional dancer from Dancing With the Stars used social media to strongly deny false reports claiming she and her husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, were seriously injured in a car accident. She called the reports “disgusting.”
Jenna addressed a false article circulating online claiming she was in an accident and containing other upsetting details. In an Instagram post on January 18th, she stated the report was completely fabricated and expressed her concern about the use of AI to spread false information, emphasizing that people’s lives shouldn’t be the subject of jokes.
She closed her statement with a plea.
She asked people to stop using her photos in fake news articles designed to attract clicks. She also said whoever was responsible for this behavior should feel embarrassed.
Jenna and Val, parents to 2-year-old Rome, haven’t been involved in an accident. They’ve been focused on getting ready for the Dancing With the Stars live tour, which begins on January 22nd.
I recently got a peek behind the scenes with Jenna, and let me tell you, getting ready was work – but a really fun kind of work! She shared a whole bunch of photos and videos showing the process, and it was fascinating to see everything that goes into it.
On January 18th, Jenna Johnson shared several posts to Instagram, including a selfie with Dancing with the Stars dancer Hailey Bills, a rehearsal clip with pro Brandon Armstrong, and a video of her and Val dancing in a studio. She also posted a picture of a thermometer showing a 101-degree temperature, jokingly announcing she was going to bed, alongside other photos of herself fully made up.
She captioned the post, “A cutie little dump from the past couple of weeks.”
The Dancing With the Stars tour brings the show’s professional dancers and troupe to audiences across the country. This year’s tour also includes a variety of celebrities from the recent season, such as Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Andy Richter, Elaine Hendrix, Jordan Chiles, and the season’s winner, Robert Irwin.
For behind-the-scenes secrets on Dancing With the Stars, read on.
The carousel of photos included a sweet picture of Jenna and Val celebrating their son Rome’s second birthday on January 10th with a construction-themed cake. Other photos showed Jenna cuddling Rome in front of a beautiful sunset and walking with him as he carried his own umbrella in the rain.
She captioned the post, “A cutie little dump from the past couple of weeks.”
As a huge fan of Dancing With the Stars, I’m so excited about the tour! It’s bringing so many of my favorite pro dancers and the incredible troupe to stages across the country. And get this – they’re also including celebrities from this past season like Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Andy Richter, Elaine Hendrix, Jordan Chiles, and even the winner, Robert Irwin! I can’t wait to see them all perform live!
For behind-the-scenes secrets on Dancing With the Stars, read on.
In 2019, Variety reported that contestants on Dancing With the Stars initially earn $125,000 for rehearsals and the first two weeks of the show. According to sources, payouts increase weekly for those who continue competing, potentially reaching a maximum of $295,000.
However, Bobby Bones said he made more than this when he won season 27 with Sharna Burgess in 2018.
As a lifestyle expert, I’m always fascinated by how people are compensated for their work. I recently heard a radio personality talking on Jason Tartick’s podcast, Trading Secrets, about their experience with a particular show. They shared that the pay structure was a bit unusual. They didn’t earn anything for the first episode, but then received $10,000 for the second. It seemed to build from there – around $10,000, then $10,000 again, followed by $20,000 and another $20,000. Apparently, if you stick with it, you could eventually make around $50,000 per episode!
In addition to a salary of about $110,000, Bones revealed he earned nearly $400,000 from the show.
ABC has not publicly confirmed any of these figures.
Details about professional dancers’ earnings haven’t been widely released either. However, like the contestants, it appears they earn more the further they advance in the competition.
But even if a pro is eliminated in the first round, they’re not leaving the ballroom empty-handed.
Jenna Johnson explained on the June 2025 episode of the The Morning After podcast, hosted by Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester, that dancers are typically guaranteed work for a specific number of weeks. However, she added that contracts vary and she couldn’t comment on everyone’s situation.
Apparently not.
Professional dancers on Dancing with the Stars, like Cheryl Johnson—who has won seasons 26 with figure skater Adam Rippon and 33 with Joey Graziadei from The Bachelor—don’t earn extra money for winning the show’s coveted Mirrorball Trophy, now named after the late Len Goodman. However, she points out there are still benefits to reaching the final round, beyond just the prestige of winning.
She explained on The Morning After that reaching the finale means you get paid for the entire season, plus a bonus. However, winning isn’t about a large cash prize; it’s just a shared trophy for the winning couple.
That doesn’t appear to be the case.
In a 2022 appearance on Trading Secrets, Lindsay Arnold shared that her pay was reduced by more than 50% when she moved from being a professional dancer to a troupe member.
The pros get little input when it comes to being matched with a celebrity.
On the May 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers’ podcast, Hot Smart Rich, Lindsay explained that participants have no choice in who they’re paired with. She said it’s simply, ‘Here’s your partner. Make it work.’
In fact, Jenna said the pairing is often a secret until the last minute.
Jenna explained on The Morning After that the show’s producers deliberately keep the cast a secret to capture genuine reactions when the couples first meet. People often assume the show knows who will be paired up and intentionally withholds the information, but that’s not the case. The producers don’t even want the hosts to know the cast beforehand, and they work hard to prevent leaks until the big reveal when contestants meet their partners.
As for what the Dancing With the Stars team looks for when making these matches?
According to former showrunner Rob Wade, the show’s pairings weren’t random. In a 2015 interview with TopMob News, he explained they considered height, body type, personality, and how well contestants would get along. They specifically avoided pairing people who they thought wouldn’t connect, as the experience was already very demanding for everyone involved – the celebrities, the production team, and the audience. Wade admitted they’d made that mistake before, resulting in unpleasant viewing and a negative experience for those involved, and it wasn’t something they wanted to repeat, unlike shows like The Bachelor.
Dancing With the Stars requires a huge time commitment. Rylee Arnold, who danced with Stephen Nedoroscik in season 33, explained on the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis that rehearsals typically last four hours, either from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., or 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The work doesn’t end there, though. Rylee also spends time meeting with producers, working on choreography, and studying dance routines. She says her entire life revolves around the show, but she loves it and is passionate about what she does. It’s a demanding schedule with rehearsals happening almost every day. They perform on Tuesdays, then rehearse from Wednesday to Sunday, followed by camera blocking on Monday before the cycle starts again with Tuesday’s show.
Oh my gosh, you guys, it’s happening! Emma and Britt basically confirmed it in a video on Instagram – September 2025, mark your calendars! – they said ‘mostly yes!’ when asked about a potential tour. It’s not totally independent though, apparently they’re working with the show’s producers on it, but STILL! A tour! I’m losing it!
If you think the quickstep dance is fast-paced, you should see how quickly the costume department works! Costume designer Daniela Gschwendtner explained to TV Insider that they collaborate with set, lighting, and dance teams to create a story for each dancer’s outfit. Then, they have just five days – often only half a day per costume, before even adding rhinestones – to create everything. The department employs around 20 people, plus a separate tailoring team, making it a large operation.
Steven Norman Lee, another costume designer, revealed that dancers often don’t try on their costumes until just hours before the show. While they might occasionally re-use pants for the male dancers, most costumes are custom-made each week.
Gschwendtner added that they do re-use items for group performances or promotional photos, but never for the competition itself. They aim to keep each dancer looking fresh and new with different outfits every week to maintain visual interest.
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2026-01-19 20:17