Maksim Chmerkovskiy Leaves Dancing With the Stars

The upcoming all-star season of Dancing With the Stars might be your last chance to see pro dancer, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, on the ABC reality competition hit. In an interview with the New York Post, Maksim made it clear that he will not be returning to the show after his contract expires next year so that he can focus on “me time.” He noted, ““What else do I have to do there after 15 seasons? It makes total sense. The audience can’t expect for me to want to stick around, and the producers can’t expect for me to want to stick around.” He went on to say that

“Essentially, 80% of our job is to give somebody another push in their career,” he says. “Or we make them into likable characters. But at the end of the day, they go off and they better themselves.“I loved doing it. But to be honest with you, at 32, I am at what-about-me time.’”

This season, which premieres Monday night, Maks is paired with Kirstie Alley. After DWTS, he hopes to dabble into acting and maybe even work on a reality show with his brother. Dancing with the Stars All-Stars kicks off Sept 24 at 8/7c on ABC! Will you miss Maksim?