“Dancing with the Stars” alum Max Chmerkovskiy apologized to current pro Jan Ravnik after criticizing his ballroom dancing abilities and even invited him to meet him in person.
“First and foremost, I want to apologize to Jean for how my words made you feel and for hurting your feelings,” she began her apology Thursday via Instagram Reels.
“There’s so much more I’d like to say. I’d love a chance to do it over coffee or whatever time you have free. I’d love to meet up and talk about this and bury the hatchet.”
Chmerkovskiy, 45, said the main reason he wanted to meet Ravnik, 30, in person was because he believed the Slovakian would walk away “feeling completely different” about the situation.
“I daresay we could be friends,” the ballroom dancing champion insisted.
Chmerkovskiy also said his comments, which many “DWTS” fans considered harsh, were not personal and that it was just his personality.
“If I love you, I’ll tell you what it feels like, especially if I don’t know you,” he explained. “My commentary on dance does not include feelings or emotions, just a completely different range of reasoning.”
After apologizing to Ravnik personally, Chmerkovskiy moved on to a second point, which he described as “more ego-driven,” and addressed all the critics who have been bashing him online for his comments.
“You can’t hurt my feelings by saying, ‘Look, you loser, you’ve only won once.’ Yes, I know that better than anyone else,” he claimed.
The choreographer even admitted his shortcomings in his 17th season as a professional on the popular dance competition show.
“In ‘DWTS,’ what I haven’t really been able to really wrestle with and control is public perception, public opinion, and what people think about me. Basically, I don’t care and I’m leading around that. And because I’m leading it, I’m not fighting for anybody’s votes.”
He admitted he had made “incredible mistakes with his partner” and had a “short temper” which led to some “terrible situations”.
Chmerkovskiy said that since having his children, he has been trying to “just set an example,” which has allowed him to own up to his wrongdoings and avoid the need for “people with keyboards” to come after him.
“Stop defending someone by attacking someone,” he concluded.
His apology came days after Ravnik and partner Jen Affleck were eliminated on Tuesday, when Ravnik appeared to subtly defend himself against Chmerkovskiy’s scathing comments.
“I’m a person who doesn’t appreciate hate and people who spread hate to maintain their relationship with society,” Ravnik told E! news.
The dancers’ feud began last Friday when the Ukrainian-born dance instructor called Ravnik’s casting “ridiculous” during an appearance on his wife Peta Murgatroyd’s podcast, The Penthouse with Peta.
He particularly criticized the choreography that followed Ravnik’s “Wicked Night” routine, claiming that current pros “had no idea what a foxtrot was.”
Chmerkovskiy tagged Ravnik in his apology video, but the Elas Tour dancer has yet to publicly respond.
