Jenna Johnson Husband: How Her Love Story With Val Chmerkovskiy Began
Jenna Johnson and her husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, have one of the best-known love stories to come out of Dancing with the Stars. Their relationship started behind the scenes of the ballroom, went through a breakup and reconciliation, and eventually led to a romantic wedding and parenthood.
Both are accomplished professional dancers, so dance has never simply been a job in their relationship. It is part of how they met, how they grew closer and how they continue to understand each other’s demanding careers.
Jenna and Val first crossed paths through Dancing with the Stars in 2014. They started dating around 2015, briefly went separate ways and eventually found their way back to each other. Val proposed during a trip to Venice in 2018, and they married the following year.
Their family grew in January 2023 with the birth of their son, Rome Valentin Chmerkovskiy. Since then, the pair have balanced parenthood with two successful careers in dance and television.
For anyone searching for Jenna Johnson’s husband, here is a closer look at Val Chmerkovskiy, their marriage, son and the relationship that started on the DWTS dance floor.
Who Is Jenna Johnson’s Husband?
Jenna Johnson’s husband is Valentin “Val” Chmerkovskiy, a professional dancer, choreographer and longtime Dancing with the Stars pro.
Born in Odesa, Ukraine, Val moved to the United States with his family as a child. Dance eventually became central to his life, just as it did for his older brother, Maks Chmerkovskiy.
Val developed an impressive competitive dance career before becoming widely known to American television audiences through Dancing with the Stars.
He first appeared on the series before becoming a regular professional partner beginning with Season 13 in 2011. Over the years, he developed into one of the show’s most recognizable dancers.
Jenna’s journey onto DWTS came later, and that is where their lives eventually connected.
Jenna and Val Met Through Dancing With the Stars
Jenna joined Dancing with the Stars as a troupe member in 2014.
By then, Val was already established on the show.
Their shared profession meant they were spending long hours in the same environment, surrounded by rehearsals, performances and other professional dancers.
They also performed together in December 2014 during Sway: A Dance Trilogy in New York.
Although their relationship was not immediately romantic in public, the pair gradually became closer.
By 2015, Jenna and Val had started dating.
Their romance initially remained relatively private. They were not immediately presenting themselves as a major Dancing with the Stars couple, but public interest grew once they were spotted spending time together away from the show.
Their Relationship Had an Early Breakup
Jenna and Val’s road to marriage was not completely smooth.
The pair separated in 2016.
During their time apart, Val began dating model and television personality Amber Rose. That relationship started toward the end of 2016 but lasted only a few months.
Val and Amber separated in early 2017.
Not long afterward, signs began appearing that Jenna and Val had reconnected.
In June 2017, they traveled through Europe around the same time. Although they initially avoided posting obvious couple photographs, their individual social media updates fueled speculation that they were together again.
It soon became clear that the speculation was correct.
Their reconciliation turned out to be an important turning point. This time, their relationship moved toward something much more permanent.
Jenna and Val Confirmed Their Romance Again
By July 2017, there was little reason to hide the relationship.
Jenna accompanied Val to the wedding of his brother, Maks Chmerkovskiy, and fellow DWTS professional Peta Murgatroyd.
It was a fitting setting for Jenna and Val to make their renewed relationship more visible. Maks and Peta had also developed a romance within the professional dance world, meaning the couples shared both family and career connections.
Jenna and Val continued appearing publicly together throughout 2017.
They walked the red carpet at the Industry Dance Awards in August, and Val openly discussed being happy and in love.
He was also publicly supportive of Jenna’s career.
When she returned to Dancing with the Stars, Val praised her talent and made it clear that he was one of her biggest supporters.
They Shared Their Romance on the DWTS Dance Floor
One particularly memorable moment came during the Season 25 finale of Dancing with the Stars.
Jenna and Val performed together while Kelsea Ballerini sang “Legends.”
Their dance included a kiss, bringing a piece of their real-life romance into the ballroom where their relationship had started.
By this point, Jenna and Val were no longer simply coworkers who happened to be dating.
They were becoming one of the show’s signature couples.
They also understood the unusual demands of each other’s careers. Both knew what it was like to spend long days rehearsing, teach celebrity partners, perform live and deal with the physical pressure that professional dancing places on the body.
That shared experience became a major part of their relationship.
Val Proposed to Jenna in Venice
Their next major milestone arrived in June 2018.
Val proposed to Jenna while they were traveling in Venice, Italy.
The setting was appropriately romantic. Val got down on one knee, and Jenna later shared photographs from the proposal.
For Val, the engagement represented more than simply deciding to get married.
He spoke warmly about how his relationship with Jenna had changed him, explaining that she helped him become a better version of himself.
Jenna was equally excited about planning their future.
After the engagement, the pair began preparing for a wedding while continuing their demanding dance careers.
Their first red carpet appearance as an engaged couple came at the Hollywood premiere of Crazy Rich Asians in August 2018.
Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy Married in 2019
Jenna and Val married on April 13, 2019.
Their wedding took place at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, with family, close friends and plenty of familiar faces from Dancing with the Stars in attendance.
Jenna wore a long-sleeved Vera Wang wedding gown, while Val chose a custom black velvet tuxedo from Brooks Brothers.
The wedding party also reflected how deeply their professional and personal lives had become connected.
Val’s brother Maks served as his best man. Jenna’s sisters, Stacy Johnson Bills and Jill Zenger, were her co-maids of honor.
Several DWTS personalities attended the celebration, including Witney Carson, Lindsay Arnold, Emma Slater, Sasha Farber, Mark Ballas, Cheryl Burke, Alan Bersten and Artem Chigvintsev.
After years of meeting, dating, separating and reconnecting, Jenna and Val were officially husband and wife.
They Honeymooned in St. Lucia
Shortly after their California wedding, Jenna and Val traveled to St. Lucia for their honeymoon.
It gave the newlyweds a chance to slow down following months of wedding preparation and their demanding work schedules.
Their marriage also marked a new phase of a relationship that had largely developed within the Dancing with the Stars world.
They were still professional dancers and colleagues, but they were now building a life together away from the ballroom.
The next major step would take several years.
Jenna and Val Wanted to Become Parents
Jenna has been open about the emotional journey that eventually led to motherhood.
Before welcoming their son, she experienced difficulties getting pregnant. She later spoke publicly about how challenging that period became, particularly as she watched people around her announce pregnancies.
In July 2022, Jenna and Val announced they were expecting their first child.
For Jenna, finally being pregnant brought enormous happiness after a difficult period.
Val was equally excited about becoming a father.
The pregnancy represented another significant transition for a couple whose relationship had already evolved from coworkers to partners, fiancés and husband and wife.
Jenna and Val Welcomed Son Rome
Jenna and Val became parents on January 10, 2023, when they welcomed their son, Rome Valentin Chmerkovskiy.
The name carried a special family connection.
Rome’s middle name, Valentin, comes from his father.
Becoming parents changed Jenna and Val’s life away from Dancing with the Stars. Their schedules were no longer simply about rehearsals, television appearances and dance competitions. They now had a young child waiting at home.
Jenna has shared glimpses of motherhood publicly and has spoken about how meaningful becoming a parent has been after the challenges she experienced before conceiving.
Val has also embraced fatherhood while continuing his professional work.
Val Understands Jenna’s Dancing Career
One advantage Jenna and Val have as a couple is that neither needs an explanation of what Dancing with the Stars requires.
They both understand the long rehearsal days, close working relationships with celebrity partners and emotional pressure of competing on live television.
That understanding is particularly valuable because ballroom partnerships require considerable trust and physical closeness.
Instead of being outsiders to each other’s professional worlds, Jenna and Val are living inside the same one.
They can also celebrate each other’s successes from a place of genuine understanding.
Both have experienced the pressure of competing for the Mirrorball Trophy, and both know how much preparation goes into a performance that viewers ultimately see for only a few minutes.
Dance Remains at the Center of Their Story
It would be difficult to separate Jenna and Val’s relationship from dance.
Dance introduced them.
It gave them opportunities to perform together, placed them within the same group of friends and continued to shape their careers after they married.
But their relationship has also expanded far beyond the ballroom.
Their years together have included a breakup, reconciliation, engagement, wedding and the birth of their son.
They have grown up together professionally as well. Jenna went from troupe member to an established DWTS professional, while Val continued developing his own long-running place within the franchise.
The show that introduced them remains part of their lives, but it is no longer the entire story.
Val’s Family Is Closely Connected to Jenna
Marriage also brought Jenna into one of Dancing with the Stars’ most familiar families.
Val’s older brother, Maks, is married to professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd.
That means Jenna has a sister-in-law who understands the same professional environment extremely well.
The family connection has resulted in plenty of shared celebrations and public appearances over the years.
Jenna’s own family has also remained important in her life, creating a wider support system around the couple and their son.
Their wedding made those connections especially visible, with siblings and DWTS friends playing important roles in the ceremony.
Where Are Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy Now?
Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy remain one of the most recognizable married couples associated with Dancing with the Stars.
What started as a workplace friendship eventually became something neither could have fully predicted when Jenna joined the show in 2014.
They began dating, went through a period apart, reconciled and became engaged during a trip to Venice. Their 2019 California wedding officially joined two lives that were already deeply connected through dance.
Then came an even bigger change with Rome’s arrival in 2023.
Today, Val is not simply Jenna Johnson’s husband or fellow DWTS professional. He is her longtime partner, fellow dancer and the father of their son.
Their story also stands out because it was not perfectly straightforward. Jenna and Val needed time apart before realizing they wanted to build a future together.
Years later, the dance floor that introduced them remains part of their lives, but marriage and parenthood have given their partnership a much bigger meaning beyond the ballroom.
