Dancing With the Stars alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy claimed fellow pro dancer Jenna Johnson struggled to work with her season 34 partner, Corey Feldman, ahead of their elimination.
In an article published by the Daily Mail on Tuesday, September 23, Maksim, 45, detailed the alleged trouble Johnson, 31, experienced on the current season of the reality dancing series.
“Obviously, Jenna has a bit of an uphill climb with Corey, which is easy for everybody to say from [the outside], but I know that she’s having a much more difficult time with this entire thing and to the point that it is really difficult for her,” the former pro, who is the brother of Val Chmerkovskiy, told the outlet. (Val married Johnson in 2019 following the pair’s on-and-off romance that started in 2015.)
Us Weekly has reached out to representatives for Johnson and Feldman, 54, for comment.
Jenna Johnson Hasn't Seen 'DWTS' Partner Corey Feldman Since Cast Reveal
The report also claimed that Maksim asked fans to show respect for his sister-in-law amid her pairing with the Lost Boys actor. “You’re talking about a reigning champ, so put some respect on the name, everybody,” Maksim said.
Maksim, who won the TV series’ coveted mirror ball trophy himself at the end of season 18 in 2014, also allegedly told the outlet that Johnson’s struggles stem from the amount of pressure put on Feldman as an inexperienced DWTS competitor.
“Don’t forget, this production is not just about you and your partner dancing, it’s about this massive behemoth of everything that’s happening,” Makim continued. “The amount of people that you have to deal with, the amount of interviews, and this is all between your rehearsal time and your therapy, and you are trying to lick your wounds and all that stuff.”
While Maksim added that he felt Jenna would find a way to “get it done” in the end, she and Corey were ultimately sent home during Tuesday’s double elimination alongside Baron Davis and Britt Stewart.
Us exclusively reported on September 3, roughly two weeks before the new season’s September 16 premiere, that Feldman felt he would disappoint Johnson as a partner. “I feel like I may have let her down a little bit already,” Feldman said during an interview with Us at the time. “I’m sure when she opened the door [she] was like, ‘Oh God, what do I have to deal with?’”
Despite his insecurities, Feldman noted that he was glad he’d been paired with Johnson, who is the reigning DWTS champion after taking out last year’s trophy with former Bachelor Joey Graziadei. “I’m very grateful that I have somebody so eloquent when it comes to the dance floor, and knowing everything, the moves, the rhythms, the styles [and] the technique,” Feldman added ahead of the season. “She’s the reigning queen, so I’m very grateful that I was lucky enough to land her as my partner.”