Valentin Aleksandrovich "Val" Chmerkovskiy (born March 24, 1986) is a Ukrainian and American professional Latin and ballroom dancer and choreographer. Born in Odesa and raised in Brooklyn, he started appearing on the ABC competition series Dancing with the Stars during its second season.
Chmerkovskiy was promoted to a pro on the series in 2011. He won the twentieth season with actress Rumer Willis, the twenty-third season with Olympic artistic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, and the thirty-second season with actress Xochitl Gomez. Chmerkovskiy received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work with his wife, Jenna Johnson, on the series.
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Early life
Valentin Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy was born on March 24, 1986, in Odesa, Ukrainian SSR (present-day Ukraine). His father, Aleksandr "Sasha" Chmerkovskiy, is a Jewish marine merchant, while his mother, Larisa Chmerkovskaya, is a Christian engineer. He has an older brother, Maksim, who is also a professional ballroom dancer.
Chmerkovskiy learned about the principles of dance through his brother. He started taking classical violin lessons when he was five years old and began dance training when he was seven, before he and his family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York in 1994. He continued his training at a youth-oriented dance studio in Bergen County, New Jersey, which was established by his brother and father.
Career
Dancesport
Chmerkovskiy is the first and only American to win the IDSF Junior and Youth World Championships. Additionally, he is a 14-time U.S. National Latin champion (Junior, U21/Youth, Adult Amateur), a Blackpool Open U21 winner, and an amateur Latin finalist at the Blackpool Dance Festival, UK Open Championships, and the International Championships. In 2001, Chmerkovskiy and his dance partner, Diana Olonetskaya, became the first American dance team to win a world junior championship title.
Dancing with the Stars
Chmerkovskiy first appeared on the reality competition series Dancing with the Stars in 2006, as one of his brother's students during the second season. He then appeared as a guest dancer on the fourth, tenth and eleventh seasons. Chmerkovskiy was formally promoted to a professional dancer on the series in 2011 for the thirteenth season, where he was partnered with model and actress Elisabetta Canalis. They were the second couple eliminated from the competition, finishing in eleventh place.
In season 14, Chmerkovskiy was partnered with comedian and talk show host Sherri Shepherd. On Rock Week (Week 4) of Dancing with the Stars, they were the third couple to be eliminated, finishing in 10th place.
Chmerkovskiy danced as a professional partner in season 15 with season 1 winner, Kelly Monaco. They finished in third place in the season finale.
For season 16, Chmerkovskiy was partnered with Disney Channel's Shake It Up star, Zendaya. On May 21, Zendaya and Val came in second place behind Derek Hough and Kellie Pickler.
For season 17, he paired with film and television actress Elizabeth Berkley. Despite receiving high scores, including the season's first perfect score, they were unexpectedly eliminated in week 9, finishing in sixth place.
For season 18, he paired with actress and author Danica McKellar. They were eliminated in Week 8 and ended in sixth place.
For season 19, he was paired with Pretty Little Liars actress Janel Parrish. They made it to the finals and finished in third place.
For season 20, he was paired with actress and singer Rumer Willis. On May 19, 2015, Willis and Chmerkovskiy were crowned the winners, marking Chmerkovskiy's first win.
For season 21, he was partnered with R&B singer and reality television star, Tamar Braxton. On November 11, 2015, Braxton revealed that she had to withdraw from the competition due to health issues.
Other Reality Television Appearances
In 2019, Chermovskiy appeared on an episode 'Say Yes to The Dress' with his now-wife, Jenna Johnson.
In April 2025, Chermkovskiy appeared in the Hulu series 'Got to Get Out'. He remained 'inside' until the end of the show.
In December 2025, it was announced Chmerkovskiy would appear on season 30 of the Food Network show Worst Cooks in America.
Personal life
Chmerkovskiy owns nine social dance studios in the New York metropolitan area, Texas and Nevada with his brother.
In 2015, Chmerkovskiy began an on and off relationship with fellow DWTS dancer Jenna Johnson. In 2017, he confirmed that he and Johnson were dating again. On June 15, 2018, the couple shared their engagement on Instagram. They were married on April 13, 2019. On July 15, 2022, Chmerkovskiy and Johnson announced that they were pregnant with their first child, due in January 2023. Their son, Rome Valentin Chmerkovskiy, was born on January 10, 2023.