Maksim Chermkovskiy isn’t the biggest fan of Bristol Palin’s dance moves — and he isn’t afraid to admit it.
Nearly one year after Sarah Palin’s daughter claimed Chmerkovskiy “hated [her] so much” when she competed on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2010, he addressed her comments on Page Six Radio.
The professional ballroom dancer clarified on Wednesday that his attitude toward the “Teen Mom OG” alum had more to do with her dancing ability than her as a person — as he is an “athletic” competitor.
“Bristol knows I didn’t hate her. … [But], sorry, Bristol was not a very good dancer,” the “DWTS” pro — who competed with singer Brandy that season — quipped. “She was not good at all, you know?”
Chermkovskiy called this “a factual statement,” noting that even though “no one seemed to want to pronounce [that], it doesn’t make it untrue.”
He added, “Here I go again, I was probably the loudest voice. But somebody had to be.”
Bristol, notably, was paired up with fan-favorite pro Mark Ballas during Season 11.
The duo made it to the top three and competed together again for an all-star season two years later, placing ninth.
Chmerkovskiy, 45, stressed on Wednesday that Bristol, 34, “got the votes” to “drag her along” in the competition the first time around because of her fans — not because of her cha cha expertise.
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“It’s horrible to say, but you’re putting this person in the next round and the next round,” he recalled, noting, “That’s the nature of ‘Dancing With the Stars.'”
Bristol figured as much when she spoke about Chermkovskiy’s negative feelings toward her on an episode of Cheryl Burke’s “Sex, Lies and Spray Tans” podcast in August 2024.
“He was real nice at the beginning,” she told the retired “DWTS” pro. “But it was one of those things where, like, as we kept going through, I definitely felt the tension from him.”
At the time, Chmerkovskiy’s rep insisted he didn’t “hate anybody” but was “competitive” and took Bristol “leapfrogg[ing] him into the finals” very seriously.
Ultimately, actress Jennifer Grey and pro Derek Hough took home that year’s mirrorball trophy.
The all-new season of “Dancing With the Stars” will premiere this fall on ABC and Disney+. The full list of celebrities who will join Alix Earle and Robert Irwin in the ballroom for Season 34 will be announced at a later date.
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