Jenna Dewan’s fiancé, Steve Kazee, has seen the chatter about her “Dancing with the Stars” partnership, and he’s making his feelings clear. After an Instagram video questioned whether Dewan and professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy were getting too “touchy,” Kazee jumped into the comments to defend his fiancée and call out the speculation.
“DWTS” judge Carrie Ann Inaba also weighed in, pushing back against attempts to turn the dancers’ physical interactions into something romantic. For Dewan, the debate marks another round of scrutiny during a season that already began with questions about her professional dance background.
Steve Kazee Calls Out Conflicting Claims About Jenna Dewan’s Chemistry
Kazee responded directly to an Instagram video criticizing Dewan’s interactions with Chmerkovskiy during this week’s episode. Rather than treating the speculation as a relationship concern, the Tony-winning actor pointed to what he saw as contradictory complaints about the partnership.
“They don’t have chemistry. They have too much chemistry. They have chemistry in the wrong places. Make up your minds. Y’all really got too much time on your hands. The spouses are unbothered stay hatin,” he commented.
Kazee, who proposed to the “Step Up” actress in 2020, also posted a separate comment taking issue with how the video discussed her. “Also put some respect on my queens name and at least pronounce her name correctly when you try to slander her.”
The comments followed Dewan and Chmerkovskiy’s steamy rumba to Mariah Carey’s “It’s Like That.”
Carrie Ann Inaba Steps In To Defend Jenna And Val
Kazee wasn’t the only person pushing back under the video. Inaba joined the comments section to explain that physical familiarity between dancers should not automatically be interpreted as romantic interest. “Dancers are physical beings,” she said. “This is like the way we say hello. Don’t try to turn it into something it is not. Have some respect for both Jenna and Val and their partners please.”
Jenna Dewan And Val Chmerkovskiy Both Have Families Outside The Ballroom
The online speculation involves two performers who each have established relationships away from “DWTS.” Val Chmerkovskiy married fellow professional dancer Jenna Johnson in April 2019. They share a son, Rome.
Dewan and Kazee began dating in October 2018, several months after her separation from Channing Tatum. Kazee proposed in 2020, and the couple shares a son, Callum, and a daughter, Rhiannon.
Dewan also shares a daughter, Everly, with Tatum.
Jenna Dewan Already Faced Backlash Over Her Dance Experience
The chemistry chatter comes after Jenna Dewan’s casting prompted a different debate: whether her dance résumé gave her an advantage in the competition. Before entering the ballroom, Dewan worked as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson and starred opposite Tatum in the dance film “Step Up.”
That experience led some viewers to question her participation. Dewan addressed the criticism in a September 2 interview with Entertainment Weekly, explaining that her background did not mean she already knew ballroom technique. “There’s parts of my dance training that’s helpful, obviously. I’ve learned choreography, I can perform, but there is a certain sense of unlearning for me,” she explained.
The “Take the Lead” actress acknowledged the skills she brought into the competition while also describing the adjustments required to learn a different discipline.
Dewan Says Ballroom Requires A ‘Brand New Technique’
Dewan elaborated on why her previous training could sometimes complicate the learning process. “It’s a new technique, brand new technique. It almost threw me off initially because I had to unlearn a lot of, I don’t want to say bad habits, but just habits of the style that I’m used to,” she said.
She also described ballroom dancing as feeling very “foreign” to her.
Dewan and Chmerkovskiy remain in the competition following Tuesday’s elimination of “Summer House” star Ciara Miller and her partner, Brandon Armstrong.
“Dancing with the Stars” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with episodes available on Hulu the following day.
