After saying Jan, who rose to fame dancing for Taylor Swift, had “no business” being on DWTS, Maksim apologized for “hurting [his] feelings” and extended an invite to “bury the hatchet” — before addressing some of the backlash he’s received for his comments.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy has issued an Instagram apology to current Dancing with the Stars pro Jan Ravnik following his highly criticized remarks that Ravnik “had no business” being a professional on the reality competition series.
The controversy began when Maksim, speaking on his wife Peta Murgatroyd’s podcast, The Penthouse With Peta, stated that Ravnik lacked “zero foundation technique, quality, understanding of the partnership,” and suggested Ravnik’s celebrity partner, Jen Affleck, was at a “major disadvantage.” The comments drew immediate backlash, including from Maksim’s own brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, who called the feedback “incredibly hurtful” to a currently competing pro.
And now Maksim has taken to Instagram with a public apology aimed directly at Ravnik … and some of his own critics.
“First and foremost, I want to apologize to Jan for the way my words had made you feel – for hurting your feelings,” he began.
Chmerkovskiy offered an olive branch, proposing a private meeting to resolve the misunderstanding. “There’s a lot more that I want to say. I would like an opportunity to do it over coffee or any other time you have to spare,” he said. “I would love to meet, I would love to talk about this, you know, bury the hatchet.”
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He continued: “I think you’re going to walk away with knowing me, feeling completely different, and dare I say, even be friends.”
Maksim then attempted to explain the mindset behind his harsh critique, clarifying that his analysis of the dance was purely technical and not intended as a personal attack.
“My commentary on dance does not come with feelings or emotions, it’s a completely different range of reasoning. And I’m that guy,” he explained, calling his personality “paradoxical.” He continued: “I will tell it like it is, let alone if I don’t know you… I’m very black and white.”
He stressed that he does not want the situation to be “personal,” before expressing exasperation at the subsequent public reaction to his comments, saying, “this is crazy to me.” Maksim then addressed those who apparently responded to his critique of Jan by saying, “Look at you, loser, you only won once,” Maksim said he knows that “more than anybody else,” and pointing that out doesn’t hurt his feelings.
“I’m also very well aware that every single member of my family has won Dancing with the Stars more than I have,” he admitted.
In a moment of self-reflection, Maksim addressed his overall reputation, acknowledging his history of losing his temper on the show. The 45-year-old dance pro also acknowledged that his polarizing persona is a result of his fundamental disregard for public opinion — a trait he says makes him a poor fit for a voting-driven platform.
“The part of Dancing with the Stars I was never able to really wrestle with and dominate is the public perception, the public opinion and what people think about me. Fundamentally, I don’t care,” he said.
Furthermore, he admitted to his past on-screen behavior: “I’ve made incredible mistakes with my partners, some of them, with how I presented myself a few times with the loss of temper. It was a horrible situation a few times. So it’s not like you’re saying stuff I don’t already know of.”
“I’m 45, I have kids, I try to only lead by example,” he said, before issuing a final plea to critics: “Please don’t come at me with how many times I won or loss … Let’s not defend someone by attacking somebody else.”
