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Carrie Ann Inaba has judged Dancing with the Stars since its 2005 premiere. A dancer, choreographer and television host, her critiques carry major weight in the ballroom.
In October 2026 she was unwillingly pulled into controversy when pro Val Chmerkovskiy posted a deleted Oscars-slap meme in response to her critique of Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr. Chmerkovskiy later apologized to her directly, saying she ‘certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgement.’