They danced their way to second place on Dancing With the Stars in 2011, but these days, Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are not in sync. On Friday, Feb. 25, Alley tweeted about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and her words didn't go over well with her former partner, who is Ukrainian-American and is in Ukraine currently.
Chmerkovskiy has been sharing many updates about the harrowing situation on his Instagram, including his own experience and ways that people in other countries can support Ukraine. Amid his social media posts, the professional dancer took a moment to call out Alley's tweet about not knowing "what’s real or what is fake in this war" and to try to educate her.
Read on to find out more about Alley and Chmerkovskiy's exchange.
Alley tweeted that she doesn't know what's "real" or "fake" about the conflict.
Gabe Ginsberg/Getty ImagesOn Feb. 25, the day after Russia invaded Ukraine, Alley wrote on Twitter (via Page Six), "I don’t know what’s real or what is fake in this war. So I won’t be commenting. I’ll pray instead.” The tweet has since been deleted.
Chmerkovskiy responded in his own post.
Debby Wong / ShutterstockOn Instagram, Chmerkovskiy posted a screenshot of Alley's tweet and wrote next to it, "Dear Kirstie, We haven’t spoken in a while, but I clearly remember being right next to you while you were organizing trucks of aid during hurricane Sandy and I remember all that you were saying to me about situations where innocent are suffering. That same energy is needed right now. No one needs your prayer if you don’t know what’s real or fake."
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Alley continued tweeting about the topic.
Robin Marchant/Getty ImagesAlley not only received backlash from Chmerkovskiy, but from other Twitter users, too. "I’m sorry that I’m not an expert on APPARENTLY EVERYTHING.. like some of you jack wagons," she responded in one tweet. "It’s ok to admit you don’t know things."
In another post, she wrote, "Omg people are obsessed with hatred.. they wait to pounce like rabid dogs no matter what is said. They will TWIST any words to fit their hateful agendas.. I think these type of people are the saddest people on Earth."
The following day, Feb. 26, Alley tweeted more about the invasion of Ukraine, including sharing a Google Doc with ways people can support the country that she said was provided by actor Milla Jovovich, "I have some good info for places to support in Ukraine. This is from Milla Jovovich. She’s from Ukraine," Alley wrote.
Chmerkovskiy has been reporting from Ukraine.
© Maksim Chmerkovskiy / InstagramChmerkovskiy is best known in the U.S. for being a professional dancer on DWTS, but he is also a judge on the Ukrainian version of the show and has been living in Kyiv while it films. In his latest update video, posted on Feb. 28, the 42-year-old said that he was planning to start making his way out of the country, but was a "little nervous."
“I'm going to try to make my way out," he shared. "I’m going to start getting towards the border. I have options. My options are better than most people's, unfortunately."
While Chmerkovskiy was born in Ukraine, he and his family moved to the U.S. when he was a teenager. When he's not working in Ukraine, he lives in California with his wife, fellow DWTS pro Peta Murgatroyd, and their five-year-old, Shai. In a post on Feb. 24, Murgatroyd asked that her Instagram followers pray for the Ukrainian people and for her husband to return home safely.
