Following Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson’s exit from Dancing with the Stars, Feldman is setting the record straight about their partnership—directly addressing speculation that arose after Maksim Chmerkovskiy (brother of Johnson’s husband, Val Chmerkovskiy) claimed Johnson had faced challenges with her partner this season.
Feldman, best known for his role in The Goonies, made his stance clear in the comments section of a post Johnson shared earlier this week, reflecting on their time together after their elimination.
“In the end, our journey was cut short—but I’m so grateful for the amazing weeks we did get to share!” Johnson wrote in her post. “Thank you for the laughs we had every day in rehearsal, for bringing your all to every practice, and for opening up about your life lessons and memories with me. I’ll hold this friendship close forever. Never stop dancing And everyone—go check out his brand-new EP!”
The 54-year-old Feldman fired back with a heartfelt response, praising Johnson while pushing back against any talk of tension between them.
“Thank you, Jenna! Working with you was an absolute delight,” he commented. “I’m so sorry the media’s using this to spin a fake story that our time together was anything less than wonderful. You know as well as I do—I showed up seven days a week for the past three weeks, giving this everything I had to make you proud, even if the judges didn’t see it. God bless your family, and keep chasing that dancing dream.”
The thread was also flooded with love from fellow DWTS stars. Dancer Alan Bersten chimed in with a simple, excited “Corey!!!” Daniella Karagach added, “You’re incredible,” while Sasha Farber wrote, “You two crushed it.” Contestant Elaine Hendrix gushed, “I love you both so much!” and Ailx Earle shared, “Coreyyyyy—gonna miss you! You guys killed it last night.” Joey Graziadei also weighed in: “You’ll be so missed in the ballroom, Corey!!”
But it was Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s earlier remarks that first fueled rumors of trouble between Feldman and Johnson. Speaking to Daily Mail, Maksim—who’s married to Johnson’s sister-in-law—opened up about his concerns for the dancer.
“Obviously, Jenna’s had a bit of an uphill battle with Corey, and it’s easy for people to judge from the outside,” he said. “But I know she’s been having a much tougher time with all this than people realize—it’s really taken a toll. I wish her nothing but the best; we’re all here for her if she needs us. And let’s be clear: she’s a reigning DWTS champion. Everybody needs to show her some respect.”
Maksim’s comments came after fans started questioning why Feldman and Johnson hadn’t shared any rehearsal videos together since the cast was announced. At the time, Johnson noted she hadn’t seen the actor-singer since their appearance on Good Morning America—but later clarified that the pair “stayed in touch the whole time.”
“He had some prior commitments he couldn’t reschedule, and we both went into this knowing we might miss a little time together,” she explained, putting to rest early worries about their dynamic.