Amidst rumors that he and Dancing with the Stars partner Vanessa Lachey don’t exactly get along, Maksim Chmerkovskiy has come out and attempted to quiet all such chatter.
He’s issued a direct apology to the television personality.
"As you are all aware, I had to leave the show last week to take care of some personal issues," Chmerkovskiy Tweeted on Wednesday, adding:
"I take full responsibility for my actions and want to apologize to my partner Vanessa.
"We are both looking forward to dancing for our fans next week!"
To open the ABC broadcast on Monday night, co-host Erin Andrews told viewers that the international stud muffin was absent due to "personal issues" and Lachey would be dancing with Alan Bersten instead.
No other information was given at the time.
But the timing was questionable because Chmerkovskiy essentially no-showed an episode just as the Internet was blowing up with rumors of a rivalry between himself and his partner.
"There is a lot of fighting going on behind the scenes," a source told Us Weekly this week, explaining a bit more in detail:
"Their personalities are very similar so they disagree about everything. They refuse to give into one another…
"They’re playing nice for the cameras, but both are miserable paired with each other."
This alleged dispute hasn’t affected the tandem on screen, however.
If there is a beef, it’s been put aside during the actual program, as Chmerkovskiy and Lachey have sat atop the leaderboard all season long.
And they’ll be back at it again in just a few days.
"New week! VEEEEERY excited for @DancingABC new dance studio and new dance with @Vanessa Lachey! Can’t wait to be back at the Ballroom!" Chmerkovskiy also Tweeted yesterday.
Fellow professional Lindsay Arnold, meanwhile, has confirmed to People Magazine that she saw Maks and Vanessa in the studio this week.
Yes, together.
Elsewhere, actress Sasha Pieterse (who is competing on Season 25) also spoke to People and basically said if there’s tension between Chmerkovskiy and Lachey… well… she hasn’t seen it.
With Vanessa’s husband (Nick Lachey) and Maksim’s wife (Peta Murgatroyd) also paired up this fall, the former Pretty Little Liars star says everyone is having a blast.
“Honestly, they’re awesome, I love them. Nick and Vanessa are awesome so are Peta and Maks. They’re such a fun partnership,” said Pieterse, who is still alive with partner Gleb Savchenko.
In the end, of course, does it really matter if Chmerkovskiy and Lachey get along?
If anything, it’s almost more interesting that they may detest each other personally, yet are still able to perform well professionally.
All we know for sure is that we’ll be tuning in next week to see if we can spot any issues at all between these two while they once again try to impress the judges and the viewers at home.