Are ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Couple Val Chmerkovskiy & Jenna Johnson Still Together?
Jenna Johnson and Valentin Chmerkovskiy have been staples on Dancing With the Stars for years. Chmerkovskiy joined the show during Season 13 in 2011, and aside from Season 26, has participated in every season since. Meanwhile, Johnson was added as a troupe member in 2014, then became a pro during Season 23 in 2016 (she’s since competed on Seasons 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, and 34).
Behind the scenes, Johnson and Chmerkovskiy became a real-life couple in 2015. They tied the knot in April 2019 and continued to work together in the years that followed. But has their love lasted? Scroll down for the latest updates.
Are Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy still together?
Yes, Johnson and Chmerkovskiy are going strong! Amid Chmerkovskiy’s run to the Finals on Season 34 of DWTS, he’s had the support of his wife both at home and in the ballroom.
Ahead of the finale, Johnson posted a video with Chmerkovskiy’s Season 34 partner, Alix Earle, and captioned it, “Your jaws will be on the floor on Tuesday…. ❤️🔥.” In an interview with Chicks in the Office, Earle even referred to Johnson as her “hype woman” in rehearsals.
Johnson and Chmerkovskiy did briefly break up at one point during their relationship, though. They split in the fall of 2016 amid DWTS‘ 23rd season. After the show ended, Chmerkovskiy began dating Amber Rose, who was partnered with his brother, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, that year. They split in February 2017, and by that June, he and Johnson were back together. Chmerkovskiy popped the question one year later.
How did Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy meet?
Johnson and Chmerkovskiy met when she joined Dancing With the Stars as a member of the troupe in Season 18. While appearing on The Squeeze podcast, Johnson recalled being the “only new person” on the season when she walked into her first rehearsal. She was “randomly partnered” with Chmerkovskiy in the first routine they learned that day.
She remembered her now-husband “trying to flirt” with her, while he said he was being “kind and chivalrous” and trying to “make the environment” as comfortable as possible on her first day. At another point during the rehearsal, Johnson got partnered up with Chmerkovskiy’s brother, Maks, who didn’t realize she was part of the cast and bluntly asked her, “Who are you standing in for?”
“I’m like, ‘I’m actually part of the show now,'” Johnson shared. “I, like, stood up to him, and he’s very scary if you don’t know him at first. That’s kind of how it started, and then it was just a whirlwind from there.”
Chmerkovskiy clarified that he and Johnson had “physical chemistry” off the bat and “kind of entertained that attraction” throughout Season 18. However, they both agreed that they were focused on work and not trying to find love at the time.
As the relationship grew, they “redefined” it, but the foundation was built on their passion for their work. “I admired her as an artist and as a professional,” Chmerkovskiy explained. “She helped me out a lot those first few years. She assisted me on a lot of choreography and a lot of ideas. My gratitude grew with that, as well.”
The romance blossomed as they became a “great team” at work, while also realizing they “weren’t sick of each other” outside of work. “Eventually, we had to make agreements, make arrangements, and speak to each other [about the relationship],” Chmerkovskiy said.
What is the age difference between Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson?
Johnson and Chmerkovskiy have an eight-year age difference. He was born in March 1986, and then she was born eight years later in April 1994.
When the two first met, Johnson was a “fresh 19 year old,” she revealed on The Squeeze. Chmerkovskiy was 27 at the time.
Do Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy have kids?
Yes, Johnson and Chmerkovskiy have a son named Rome, who was born on January 10, 2023. In 2024, she addressed their future plans for expanding their family.
“Initially, I thought I wanted babies back to back, but after having Rome, I am loving every second with him and his new discoveries/milestones that I’ve felt I need some time just with him before thinking about another one,” Johnson shared on her Instagram Story at the time. “Again, whatever happens, happens and will be a blessing. But if I were to plan it out I want to wait a couple more years.”
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Prior to giving birth to Rome, Johnson experienced a miscarriage. While gushing over her “rainbow baby” in a March 2023 Instagram post, Johnson reflected on her past pregnancy loss.
“Our experience trying to conceive was much like a lot of yours.. unexpected, exciting, devastating, and not how we planned,” she wrote. “BUT, with as much heartache that followed miscarrying our first pregnancy.. I know without a doubt that it all happened as it should. And although there were many times I questioned WHY and HOW and silently cried when no one knew, I never gave up on my dream of becoming a mother.”
She added, “I never thought I would say this, but I am forever grateful for our infertility/pregnancy loss journey because it has made this moment with my sweet Rome so meaningful. I feel present and cherish every moment… even at 4am with little to no sleep and spit up running down my shirt.”
That June, she opened up about the miscarriage on the MomForce podcast and said it happened while she was rehearsing for a show in Dallas, Texas.
“While we were practicing, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I think something’s happening. I think I might be bleeding,'” Johnson shared. “And so I turn to Val and immediately his face goes pale white and I start panicking. I start running to our hotel room and get to the hotel room, and I’m just gushing blood. And I end up miscarrying in our room and it was … it was just terrible. There is no other way to go around it.”
Dancing With the Stars, Season 34 Finale, Tuesday, November 25, 8/7c, ABC and Disney+
