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‘Part Of The Small Club': Maksim Chmerkovskiy Says He Is Excited To Be Dad To 3 Boys Ahead Of Third Son's Birth
Maksim Chmerkovskiy opened up about his parenting journey so far at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Tuesday, quipped about creating a “small club” of his own" ahead of his third son's birth.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy is excited to welcome baby number three with wife Peta Murgatroyd. The dancing champions are already parents to Shai, 7, who is also his father’s mini version, and 9-month-old Rio. Chmerkovskiy opened up about his parenting journey so far at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Tuesday. He quipped about creating a “small club” of his own but was anxious about doing all the right things as a dad to two boys, plus one.
After paying homage to the parents who raise multiple kids, Chmerkovskiy also expressed his admiration for mothers, especially the ones with “two-plus kids.”Additionally, the Ukrainian choreographer revealed that their third child was a "surprise."
Maksim Chmerkovskiy loves being a dad
Soon to be a father once again, the 44-year-old star is beyond thrilled to experience the journey all over again. “I already feel like when you walk around and you feel like you're part of the small club. Now I understand what most of Utah feels like with a lot of kids in their families. I didn't before. Now I get it,” Chmerkovskiy told People. The couple welcomed their second son, Rio John Chmerkovskiy through IVF in June 2023.
Still growing as a father figure for his boys, the Dancing with the Stars champion wanted to “give homage to all the parents of a multitude of kids, the ones that do it right with all of them.” However, Chmerkovskiy claimed that he is still finding his way around it.
On the other hand, Chmerkovskiy was impressed by Murgatroyd, also a DWTS champion’s natural ability to care for their children. Well, adding one more to the family has simply bolstered Chmerkovskiy’s respect for the 37-year-old dancer. “I do feel like mothers of two-plus kids deserve a special extra medal. You’re going to have to stock up medals for that. It's a lot of energy. It's about to be chaotic, and I love it,” the So You Think You Can Dance judge noted.
Maksim recalled his childhood experience and the loving bond he shared with his brother Valentin Chmerkovskiy. "We grew up, we never fought. We never actually — two brothers, two men, two boys — never wrestled, never nothing. There was nothing but love,” he said. This was primarily because their mother incessantly reminded them that they would “only have each other” later in life.
Moreover, the brothers expect the same from their kids, as Valentin welcomed his firstborn with dancer Jenna Johnson in 2023. “They'll be tight, as tight as we are, and the cousins as well,” Maksim reflected.
ALSO READ: What Is Maks Chmerkovskiy's Net Worth? Exploring The New So You Think You Can Dance Judge's Fortune
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd hit it off on Broadway
Many might presume that the dancing stars possibly met on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, where they performed together for five years as a pair. But that was not it. The duo worked as pro dancers on the Broadway production, Burn the Floor in June 2009 before making it to DWTS as a fan-favorite pair.
Chmerkovskiy had already appeared on DWTS whilst working in the Broadway show whereas Murgatroyd, originally from New Zealand, debuted as a pro dancer with Burn the Floor. The couple became friends and had kept it platonic for years. "We have very different versions of how this went down. He was nice, but he was Maks, he came in like a bull in a china shop,” Murgatroyd told ET.
The Australian dancer revealed that Maksim had once offered to sponsor her visa to prevent her from leaving the U.S. Their relationship took a romantic turn during the behind-the-scenes of DWTS. Maksim finally proposed to Peta after a DWTS performance in 2015 and there has been no turning back since.
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