Jenna Johnson struggles behind the scenes with her Dancing with the Stars partner, Corey Feldman
Behind-the-scenes tensions revealed between Dancing with the Stars pair Jenna Johnson and her partner, Corey Feldman, exclusively by Jenna's brother-in-law, Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Dancing with the Stars professional dancer Jenna Johnson (Image via ABC)
Dancing with the Stars season 34 premiered on September 16, 2025. Professional dancer Jenna Johnson and her celebrity partner Corey Feldman are already drawing attention for the tension between them behind the scenes.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Jenna’s brother-in-law and former Dancing with the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy opened up about the struggles faced by Jenna with her actor and musician partner, Corey.
Maksim claimed that Jenna is facing a really difficult time with the partnership, further commenting on how the relationship between Jenna and Feldman has been more strained than publicly visible, saying,
All the cast show up, you know, all smiles and say how great they are together and 'we're friends' and blah, blah, blah, but that's surface. Sometimes it's not the case,
Jenna Johnson’s uphill battle with Corey Feldman on Dancing with the Stars season 34 revealed
Maksim Chmerkovskiy went on to reveal the challenges that Jenna is facing that are not only caused by Corey's lack of dance experience but also his work ethic and lack of professionalism, noting,
Obviously, Jenna has a bit of an uphill climb with Corey, which is easy for everybody to say from [outside], but I know that she's having a much more difficult time with this entire thing and to the point that it is really difficult for her.
Maksim wished Jenna all the best and assured her that he was there to support her if needed, further emphasising that she was a reigning champion and deserved respect from Corey, as she had won the 2024 season of Dancing with the Stars.
You’re talking about a reigning champ, so put some respect on the name, everybody, he says.
Chmerkovskiy, who himself has won the mirrorball trophy in 2024, claims that his brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, who is paired with social media influencer Alixe Earle, is also miserable, along with Jenna.
Attending the premiere with his wife, Peta Murgatroyd, Maksim Chmerkovskiy overlooked the view that Feldman’s age was a cause behind his struggles in Dancing with the Stars.
He instead suggests that he might be having difficulty coping with the overall demands of the show, including the challenging choreography, work ethic and combination of techniques.
Highlighting the pressure of the production, he points out that Jenna is having a difficult time with the entire journey of the show to the extent that she is struggling with it, saying,
Don't forget this production is not just about you and your partner dancing, it's about this massive behemoth of everything that's happening - the amount of people that you have to deal with, the amount of interviews, and this is all between your rehearsal time and your therapy, and you are trying to lick your wounds and all that stuff.
Sounding hopeful, Maksim expresses that Jenna would be able to guide Feldman in the beginning and help him become the performer that audiences expect, further praising Jenna as a tough coach.
He described her as a stickler who knows how to stand her ground and believed she would manage to get it done. He concluded the interview by extending his support for his sister-in-law, Jenna, and his brother, Val, who he said is having a great time in rehearsalson the show.
The official cast for Dancing with the Stars was announced on Good Morning America on September 3, 2025, and the participants started practising their performances.
However, Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson reunited for their rehearsals on September 8, 2025, 24 hours after Jenna revealed his absence.
Jenna Johnson revealed in an Instagram story that she has not seen her partner, Corey, for three days following the Good Morning America announcement. Addressing a fan, she wrote,
So many people have been like, ‘Where are your TikToks with Corey? What’s happening?’ To be completely honest, I actually haven’t seen him since Good Morning America.
She later revealed that his absence was unintentional, as he was busy dealing with personal stuff and work commitments. They performed a tango to Billy Joel’s It’s Still Rock & Roll to Me in the premiere, receiving the lowest total of 9 points out of 20.
