Jen Affleck Slams 'Slander' Against DWTS Partner Jan Ravnik After Maksim Chmerkovskiy Criticism

After former pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy's criticisms of Jan being cast on  Dancing with the Stars made headlines, Jen took it upon herself to seemingly defend Jan.

In a TikTok video posted on October 27, Jen sat down next to her partner, pretending to type something out on her phone.

"Take it down. Take it down. Take it down. We need it gone. Take it down. That doesn't represent me or what we need to be doing," Jan then lip synced to a TikTok sound, while wearing a K95 mask.

The text on the video read: "Me when anyone talks trash about Jan."

Jen's caption also made reference to the backlash Ravnik received, writing, "We don't tolerate Jan slander in this house!!"

Fans also came to Ravnik's defense in the comments, sharing how much they have grown to love the new pro.

"Jan has become my new favorite pro. Maks is bitter," one social media user wrote.

"Maks was mean and cruel to his partners. Jan is kind and I would pick him any day over Maks," another shared.

One user added: "There was no need for Maks to be disrespectful like that. You guys are going to kill it tomorrow. You got this!!"

Fans also believed Jan made his own subtle clapback to Maks by sharing a photo of him in the middle of a dance routine doing a back bend. The words written over the image were, "I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams," which, of course, is a lyric from Taylor Swift's 2017 hit, "Look What You Made Me Do."

The pair are performing a contemporary dance to Swift's clapback anthem for tonight's Halloween week episode.

Maks passionately shared his opinion on new pro Jan while talking to his wife Peta Murgatroyd (and fellow former pro) on her podcast, The Penthouse With Peta podcast following Wicked night.

The pair discussed each dance and when they got to Jan's dance with celebrity partner Jen Affleck, they did not hold back, with Maks adding that he could "feel the heat" coming up through his face when thinking of the dance. "We do not need to give him grace," Chmerkovskiy said on the Oct. 24 episode, when Peta prefaced that it is Jan's first season on the show.

"I'm sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars," he said. "There's zero foundation technique, quality, understanding of the partnership. Bro, I'm getting emotional. It is absurd, and this is unreal how blind we have to be and God forbid say what's obviously there."

Jan and Jen performed the foxtrot to Wicked's "As Long As You're Mine," where they were given straight 8s from the judges -- their highest scores of the series.  

Peta agreed with Maks' thoughts on Jan and his pairing with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star.

"Jen has a major disadvantage," Peta began. "I feel bad because she is not getting taught the basics that she needs to. She's not getting taught the base of the dance."

"They did it," Peta added. "They hired him! He's a Taylor Swift dancer it's the obvious reason why he was hired, apart from he is a lovely guy. He looks great, he obviously is a great dancer."