‘Dancing With the Stars’: Why Did Maks Chmerkovskiy Leave the Show?

It’s been eight years since Maksim Chmerkovskiy last appeared as a pro on Dancing With the Stars. Before his exit after Season 25, he starred on 17 seasons of the dance competition series.

But Chmerkovskiy recently injected himself into the DWTS conversation when he and wife Peta Murgatroyd discussed a recent episode of the show on her podcast. Chmerkovskiy made headlines for slamming the show’s decision to cast Taylor Swift‘s backup dancer Jan Ravnik as one of the Season 34 pros, despite his lack of ballroom dance experience.

“I’m sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars,” Chmerkovskiy insisted. “There’s zero foundation, technique, quality, understanding of the partnership. Bro, I’m getting emotional. It is absurd. This is unreal, how blind we have to be, and, God forbid, say what’s obviously there: He had no idea what foxtrot is supposed to look like.”

Chmerkovskiy said he finds Ravnik to be a “lovely guy” and a “great dancer,” but takes issue with the show for hiring him.

Scroll down for everything we know about Chmerkovskiy’s exit from the show and whether he’d ever return.

Why did Maks Chmerkovskiy leave Dancing With the Stars?

Chmerkovskiy, whose debut on DWTS was in Season 2, first left the show after Season 15 in 2012.

“I’ve been a pro dancer on the show for about seven years now and am eager to explore other opportunities that have been made possible because of Dancing With the Stars,” he said in a statement at the time. “I’m going to take this time to dive into producing and acting, while fulfilling my sponsorship obligations.”

He then returned for Season 18 before taking another break and coming back for Season 23 in 2016. Of his decision to come back, Chmerkovskiy told Us Weekly, “I decided to return to DWTS because I had an amazing time dancing with my brother this summer during our tour. It felt great. Getting back into shape allowed me to entertain this idea. I am in the best shape of my life, so why not spend a few months with my brother and the cast members and have fun!”

Courtesy Everett Collection

Although he initially said he had “no plans” to come back again for Season 24 because Murgatroyd was due to give birth to their first child just weeks before rehearsals began, Chmerkovskiy did return to the ballroom for Seasons 24 and 25 before retiring for good.

“Everything that is up to me, I do at 100% and then give it my all. I just don’t think I can do the show as a professional dancer at 100% and give it my all anymore,” he explained to MassLive. “I am at a different point in my life.”

On a 2018 episode of The Real, Chmerkovskiy explained that becoming a father and husband changed his perspective about wanting to compete on the show. “Your chemistry changes when you have a child, things look different, they seem different,” he explained, adding that he didn’t want to have to bother with “politicking” for votes on the show (eliminations are based on viewer votes and judges’ scores combined).

“I want what I say now to be understood that it’s me, it’s not, ‘Well, he has to say that,'” Chmerkovskiy added.

It was also reported that Chmerkovskiy and his Season 25 partner, Vanessa Lachey, had issues behind the scenes. In fact, he even sat out from dancing during Week 3 due to a “personal issue,” which People reported was due to “big chemistry issues” with Lachey. “They both have big personalities and that’s not always the best recipe for a good partnership,” the mag’s source said (Chmerkovskiy wound up returning to the ballroom the following week).

In 2023, Chmerkovskiy expanded on his departure decision, telling The Blast, “First and foremost, as a business side of things, I was on a contract that I extended a few times, but when it stopped being extended, it was a mutual decision. The reality is that we just grew up.”

He noted that the show was “going through some changes and some transformations” at the time, and he felt like he needed to “move on.”

Would Maks Chmerkovskiy return to Dancing With the Stars?

Chmerkovskiy has made it clear that his days of dancing as a pro on the show are over. However, he previously expressed interest in being a judge on the show.

“I would have loved to judge and transition into that, but it’s not my call. It’s not up to me,” he explained to MassLive (he did have guest stints as a judge during Seasons 17, 21, and 22). “I would love to do that gig. That’s my thing. That’s my medium (and) that’s what I know. I know exactly what I am looking at. I know exactly what I want it to be and exactly how to influence someone to do better in that genre. That’s what a judge should do, in addition to adding to the production. If that’s in my future, I would gladly accept it.”

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When there was a hosting shake-up in 2020 following Tom Bergeron‘s exit, Chmerkovskiy told Us Weekly that he’d love to be involved in that aspect of the production. “I personally would love an opportunity to step into any shoes on the production side or in front of camera,” he shared. “I don’t really necessarily have the passion of leading someone through this incredibly grueling process of three months of getting to the end. I may not have that, but I do have the passion of contributing to dancing, being on television and sticking around.”

How many times has Maks Chmerkovskiy won Dancing With the Stars?

In his 17 seasons as a pro, Chmerkovskiy has only won the Mirrorball trophy one time. His sole victory was with partner Meryl Davis in Season 18.

His other notable finishes include third place with Laila Ali in Season 4, second place with Mel B in Season 5, third place with Erin Andrews in Season 10, and second place with Kirstie Alley in Season 12.

Dancing With the Stars, Season 34, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC