Longtime “Dancing With the Stars” fans were left shocked when they spotted former pro Artem Chigvintsev in the audience on November 12.
Chigvintsev returned to the show for 500th episode celebration. Though he wasn’t shown on television, the dancer was seated with Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd and appeared on Murgatroyd’s Instagram Stories.
Murgatroyd shared a video from the audience and captured everyone dancing and having a good time. Chigvintsev had a big smile on his face and flashed the peace sign to the camera.
This is the first time that Chigvintsev has been back to the ballroom since the season 32 finale. It also marks the first time he’s been to the show since he was arrested for suspicion of corporal injury to spouse in August 2024.
Some Fans Expressed Surprise After Seeing Artem Chigvintsev in the Audience
After someone saw Chigvintsev on Murgatroyd’s Instagram Stories, they shared a screenshot on Reddit where many fans reacted.
“Next to his bestie Peta and Maks. They still ride or die for this man openly, which I didn’t expect actually but,” one person wrote.
“OMFG,” someone else said.
“Woah holy crap didn’t expect him there either,” a third comment read.
“He deserves to be there. Still shocked he is though,” a fourth Redditor added.
Some people took to the thread to defend Chigvintsev.
“It’s laughable that people are criticizing him for being there. We have enough information to know that it’s wrong to completely blame him for what happened. The fact is this could all be on her,” read another comment.
“Some of these comments show a lot of unhealed trauma. You know a lot of men suffer from domestic abuse too? But no one talks about it. We truly don’t know what happened so lets stop all blaming him,” another social media pointed out.
Artem Chigvintsev Has Been Working Construction
Chigvintsev has been working a construction job in order to make some money after he wasn’t asked to be a part of season 33 of DWTS. According to Variety, that decision was made prior to Chigvintsev’s personal issues.
He was arrested in Napa County, California, on August 29, 2024, according to a booking record obtained by Heavy. According to TMZ, he faced a domestic violence charge. He posted bail shortly after he was taken into custody.
In the days that followed, more details about Chigvintsev’s arrest were released, including some information from a 911 call, uploaded by TMZ. The information provided suggested there was a fight at home between Chigvintsev and his wife, Nikki Garcia.
On September 3, TMZ reported that Garcia was looking for a divorce attorney and, on September 11, she filed for divorce (per TMZ).
About two weeks later, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley confirmed that criminal charges against Chigvintsev had been dropped.
“While we take every arrest seriously and stand firmly against domestic violence, we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when supported by the evidence. We are required to prove any and every criminal charge ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ which is the highest standard in the American criminal justice system,” Haley said in a statement.
Garcia and Chigvintsev, who first met on season 25 of “Dancing With the Stars,” tied the knot in 2022. They have one son together named Matteo.
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