Val Chmerkovskiy's Wife Jenna Johnson Gave Xochitl Gomez Tons Of Support On DWTS

Season 32 of "Dancing With the Stars" bestowed the newly-renamed Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy upon reigning champions Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy, and it's a special victory, as this is Chmerkovskiy's third Mirrorball trophy. This third win comes with Gomez, who was the youngest competitor of the season. Known for her breakout role in Marvel's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," Gomez has never been formally trained in ballroom dance, but that didn't stop her determination in the competition.

Despite their stellar performances this season and Gomez's growth each week, her progress wasn't the only thing that secured the pair the trophy. The connection between Gomez and Chmerkovskiy was plain to see every time they stepped out in the ballroom, and it was their friendship that helped propel them towards the finale and ultimately won them the competition. 

However, Chmerkovskiy wasn't the only one in Gomez's corner, supporting her through the challenges. His wife, fellow "DWTS" pro dancer Jenna Johnson, became the couple's biggest cheerleader by encouraging Gomez to overcome her nerves and perform to the best of her ability each week.

Val Chmerkovskiy and Xochitl Gomez's journey on "Dancing With the Stars" started a little rocky, but after the first few weeks, Gomez gained confidence in her performances and improved in each episode. In fact, it was Chmerkovskiy and Gomez who received the first perfect score of the season on "Whitney Houston" night. While Gomez's hard work and determination certainly aided her success, working with Chmerkovskiy and his wife, Jenna Johnson, also helped Gomez overcome some of her earlier hurdles in the competition. 

In an interview with People, Gomez opened up about how she grew to be a part of Chmerkovskiy's family, partly because of Johnson. "Jenna really helped me and said really wonderful encouraging words. I'm just really lucky to have had a partner whose wife is so nice," she told the outlet. "She was so supportive of me and it takes a person to allow me to be so close with, you know, their family and she's really allowed me to be close with her family, and I really appreciate that and hopefully, I can continue to be part of their little circle."

Gomez also explained that Johnson would help her when she was anxious about certain improvisational parts of her performances and that her encouragement helped her push through so that Gomez was able to perform. Chmerkovskiy agreed, adding that Johnson was involved in every step of their journey on the show, supporting them the whole way through.

Val Chmerkovskiy has been a part of "Dancing with the Stars" since Season 13 when he joined the professional dancers on the show. Since then, he's won three times: the first during Season 20 with Rumer Willis, the second with Laurie Hernandez during Season 23, and with Xochitl Gomez during Season 32. 

After doing the show for so long, it's easy to lose the passion for it that was once there, which Chmerkovskiy detailed in an interview with People. In November 2023, he opened up about how overwhelming some of the past seasons had been and how Gomez brought some joy back to his experience on the show. "Even seasons when I was successful and I did have great runs that even ended up in winning, a lot of them were really stressful and not as fun," he admitted. "This time around, I'm really savoring the moment and I'm really enjoying it."

Chmerkovskiy also credited Gomez for making this season of the show so memorable for him, writing an Instagram post about his partner ahead of the semi-finals of the competition. "This has easily been one of my favorite seasons on DWTS, and I've been a part of many...Xochitl is a force, and I'm looking forward to seeing her shine for many, many years to come. Imma say I taught her some ballroom." And he taught her how to win the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy!