“I love the art form of dancing. For me, it is my whole life’s work,” Inaba explained. “My opinion comes from outside the ballroom and Latin experience to balance out the panel. And that is why I have chosen to stay on the panel and speak my truth no matter what people say about me.”
And she said her goal is only to help the pro and their partner “improve,” noting she “will always be open to healing” moments if she says anything that feels hurtful.
In another comment on her post, Inaba also revealed why she didn’t speak about the incident earlier, especially in the wake of Johnson’s husband Val Chmerkovskiy receiving a one-week suspension from the show for alluding to Will Smith’s 2022 Oscar slap when he defended Johnson.
“I have not spoken about what happened because of professional courtesy for those who are still competing,” she explained, “and we actually have standards and practices that keep us separated.”