What To Know
- Jen Affleck publicly defended her Dancing With the Stars partner Jan Ravnik on TikTok after he faced criticism from former pro Maks Chmerkovskiy..
- Chmerkovskiy harshly criticized Ravnik’s technique and suitability as a DWTS pro during a podcast with wife Peta Murgatroyd.
- Affleck’s video response was widely supported by fans, many of whom praised Ravnik and dismissed Chmerkovskiy’s comments as unnecessary or jealous.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck is not standing for any “slander” against her Dancing With the Stars partner, Jan Ravnik, who came under criticism after last week’s performance.
Taking to TikTok on Monday (October 27), Affleck shared a video of herself pretending to type messages on her phone. Ravnik sat beside her, lip syncing, “Take it down. Take it down. Take it down. We need it gone. Take it down. That doesn’t represent me or what we need to be doing.”
Affleck captioned the video, “Me when anyone talks trash about Jan,” adding, “We don’t tolerate Jan slander in this house !!”
The video comes after former DWTS pro Maks Chmerkovskiy slammed Ravnik’s dancing ability on the latest episode of his wife Peta Murgatroyd’s podcast The Penthouse With Peta. In the episode, Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd shared their thoughts on DWTS‘s recent Wicked Night, where Affleck and Ravnik performed a foxtrot.
@jenniferaffleckk We don’t tolerate Jan slander in this house !! @Jan Ravnik @Dancing with the Stars #DWTS ♬ original sound – Kimberley P
“He’s learning. He’s learning slowly. It’s his first season,” Murgatroyd said of Ravnik, who is best known for being one of Taylor Swift‘s backup dancers from the Eras Tour. “We have to give him grace for not understanding foxtrot technique. It’s very hard to watch.”
Chmerkovskiy strongly disagreed with his wife, saying, “No, we do not have to give him grace. Are you kidding me?”
He added, “I’m sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars. There’s zero foundation, technique, quality, understanding of the partnership. Bro, I’m getting emotional. It is absurd.”
Chmerkovskiy competed on 17 seasons of the ABC competition series, winning in Season 18 with former competitive ice dancer Meryl Davis.
Meryl Davis, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, DWTS Season 18; ABC/Adam Taylor
“This is unreal, how blind we have to be, and, God forbid, say what’s obviously there,” he continued. “[Ravnik] had no idea what [a] foxtrot is supposed to look like.”
He went on to say that he has nothing personal “against [Ravnik] whatsoever,” but said his casting on the show was “a missed opportunity.”
While Affleck didn’t directly mention Chmerkovskiy in her TikTok video, many fans took it as a response to the former DWTS pro.
“Jan has become my new favourite pro. Maks is bitter,” wrote one commenter.
“Maks was literally giving jealous ex-pro vibes. Jan is a king,” said another.
“Who cares about maks and peta? They are old news,” another added.
Another wrote, “Maks sounds like he needs his name back in the media. It’s okay bb, everyone knows exactly who he is.”
“We love Jan and want more seasons of him!! He is such a fresh face and so funny!” said one fan.
“I do not think the hater realized that Jan has an army of Swifties backing him up,” quipped another.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 34, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC