Maks Chmerkovskiy Addresses Kirstie Alley’s ‘Flirty’ Claims

Kirstie Alley and Maks Chmerkovskiy competed together twice on “DWTS,” first in season 12 in 2011, where they finished as runners-up, and again in season 15 in 2012, placing seventh.

During the Monday, February 24, episode of the “Sibling Revelry” podcast, Maks Chmerkovskiy recalled a moment in rehearsals when Alley misinterpreted his dance moves as something more.

“Kirstie Alley told me, ‘Oh, my God. You’re so flirty.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’” the former “DWTS” pro shared. “[It was] in rehearsal and it’s on tape, and she’s like, ‘Yeah, look where your hand is.’ I’m like, ‘My hand is where?’ She’s like, ‘All over my back.’”

While Alley seemed to think the touch was flirtatious, Chmerkovskiy explained it was purely technical. “I’m like, ‘Your gravity is down. I got to use two hands sometimes to move,” he clarified before joking, “It’s not ‘cause I love you that much.’”

Their once-close friendship unraveled after Alley publicly clashed with Leah Remini over “Scientology” in 2013, the same year Remini, a vocal critic of the religion, joined “DWTS.”

The fallout extended to Chmerkovskiy, who was close friends with Remini. “She stopped getting along with me,” he revealed on “Watch What Happens Live” in 2014. “I think the world of her. I’m not judging people by their religion. I’m Jewish. I don’t really believe in science fiction, whatever. Now that I’m associating with other people that [she said] she can’t be associated with, I am no longer to be spoken with.”

Two years later, Chmerkovskiy told Us Weekly that a friend of his received a note stating he was “no longer allowed to be Kirstie’s friend.” He called the decision “ridiculous” but acknowledged, “Everyone is entitled to their own insanity.”

Their tension resurfaced again in 2022 when Chmerkovskiy criticized Alley for saying she didn’t know “what’s real or what is fake” regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Despite their ups and downs, Chmerkovskiy paid tribute to Alley after she passed away from colon cancer in December 2022 at the age of 71. Sharing a heartfelt Instagram post, he described Alley as “one of the most unique people I have ever met and easily one of the brightest moments of my personal and professional life.”

He also admitted their relationship had been like a “wild roller coaster.”

“We haven’t spoken lately and I’ll tell you everything when I finally see you, but for now I want to say that I love you very much and I wish you the most peaceful rest,” he wrote. “I thought you’d be around forever. I wish we spoke often. Thank you for everything. I love you, Kirstie Alley.”

“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” the late actress’ kids wrote via their late mother’s Instagram. “She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead. As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother.”

The message continued, “Our mother’s zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did.”

During Monday’s podcast episode, Chmerkovskiy shared the story about Alley while discussing professional boundaries on “DWTS” with his brother, Val Chmerkovskiy.

“There’s a duality to it. It’s a little bit of both,” Val said of maintaining relationships with dance partners. “It’s a balancing act [to] have a partner that you can talk to and vent to and be reassured from. Then it’s cool. But if you don’t have that, then yeah, it’s an issue. It’s a big issue.”

Maks added that in his 17 seasons on “DWTS,” only “one relationship” turned romantic, though he didn’t name who it was. He admitted the romance was “short-lived and a mistake all the way in the beginning.”

Ultimately, he found lasting love with fellow “DWTS” pro Peta Murgatroyd, whom he married in 2017. The couple has since welcomed three children together.