Say goodbye to the bad boy of the ballroom. Maksim Chmerkovskiy is leaving Dancing With the Stars, TMZ reports. The professional ballroom dancer, 33, talked with producers this week and informed them that he wouldn’t be returning for the upcoming season.
Chmerkovskiy has danced on the show since Season 2 in 2006, teaming up with stars such as Misty May, Laila Ali, Erin Andrews, Kirstie Alley, and Mel B. He spoke out about leaving DWTS after two more cycles back in the fall, since he was under contract for 15 seasons. No word yet on how he got out of his contract early. Hollywood.com reached out to ABC for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.
RELATED: Maksim Chmerkovskiy Is Quitting ‘Dancing With the Stars’ After 15 Seasons
The dancer also made headlines back in the fall for more negative reasons when his DWTS partner Hope Solo accused him of abuse during their rehearsals. The US Women’s Soccer Team goalkeeper released a memoir, titled Solo: A Story of Hope, in which she claimed he physically abused her during rehearsals. Chmerkovskiy denied the claims, and spoke out cryptically on twitter, saying, “Always hated hypocrites and liars … but when someone is both AND an opportunist, I just feel bad for them. Can’t win at someone’s expense.”
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[Photo Credit: Josiah True/Wenn]
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