For Former ‘DWTS’ Pro Maks Chmerkovskiy, It’s ‘Family First’ as He Launches Skincare Line With Wife Peta Murgatroyd [Exclusive]
Maks Chmerkovskiy is best known to television audiences for his work as an OG pro dancer on Dancing with the Stars. He appeared on 17 seasons of the ABC series and won one mirrorball trophy alongside Meryl Davis in season 18. However, Maks is much more than a dancer. He is an entrepreneur dedicated to giving back to his community. He sat down with Showbiz Cheat Sheet to discuss a new skincare line with his wife, Peta Murgatroyd, his premium vodka, a desire to put family first, and the “emotions and tears” of the Len Goodman tribute.
Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd present a new skincare line
Married since 2017, Dancing with the Stars pro Peta Murgatroyd and Maks Chmerkovskiy are partners in business and life. They share two sons, Shai and Rio, and recently launched a new skincare line.
Can you share the details of your new skincare line with our readers?
It is available on the Maks & Peta Marketplace. It was always a dream of ours to have our own space. We have created organic products that we use ourselves. The products now include a vegan and cruelty-free Foot Spray, Hand and Foot Lotion, CBD Pain Cream, and a Face mist.
Would you like to add other products in the future?
I want to add household items. I want to share the types of products that we use around our home and that are functional for everyday use. There are a lot of opportunities. But most of all, we want to continue the honest relationship we have with our fans. That’s why Peta and I are very careful presenting items unless they have a function in our home as well. If the product is good, it speaks for itself.
The profits from Maks & Peta go to an organization that is very close to your heart. Can you share what that is?
All the profits from this line go to Baranova27, a non-profit organization that my father, Sasha Chmerkovskiy, started. My father started this company after the war in Ukraine began. [Baranova27 is named after the street where the family lived in Ukraine.] Baranova27 has sent over 500,000 lbs of essential goods to Ukraine. We have also started building villages to start a movement to keep displaced refugees inside the country, and we are in our second or third wave of people living there. It’s very emotional to talk about.
For Maks Chmerkovskiy, family is at the forefront of everything he does
Maks and his brother Val Chmerkovskiy emigrated from Ukraine in 1994 along with their parents. He was just 14, and Val was 8 when they came to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, New York.
Your parents have always supported you and your brother Val’s aspirations.
They really sacrificed for us, for the life to end up living. They are a part of our success; I always say that. I can never take credit for my success. I operate from the standpoint that my grandma’s watching whatever it is that I’m doing, and her building is going to be talking to her about that.
You also recently launched a line of premium vodka called Tetya KAPA.
I love entrepreneurship and product development. However, the vodka happened organically. I was producing a very successful show and wine tasting in Napa Valley, California, called Savor After Hours. It’s a wine-tasting experience performance and a show. Through that, I learned how the process of winemaking works and the alcohol industry in general. That was my incentive. I thought, ‘Why don’t I come out with a product whose proceeds can help Baranova 27?’ But that’s all that mattered to me at that time. Any product that I put out is a representation of my family. It represents my history and the life I have come to have in this world.
Maks says the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ tribute to Len Goodman was filled with ’emotions and tears’
Maks Chmerkovskiy revealed that returning to Dancing with the Stars for the series’ tribute to Len Goodman brought up a wealth of emotions from his time on the series. He danced alongside fellow OG pros Mark Ballas, Kym Herjavec, Anna Trebunskaya, Louis van Amstel, Karina Smirnoff, Edyta Sliwinska, and Tony Dovolani.
I want to touch on one more thing before we wrap up. The Dancing with the Stars tribute to Len Goodman. What was the response that you received afterward?
Very beautiful, it was an absolutely beautiful dance. It was an overall unique, positive, and beautiful feeling in the ballroom. There were plenty of emotions and tears. The intent was to pay homage to a man who meant a lot to us for many years growing up in that world, and I feel like that’s what was done.
Can you tell us about your work on the new Peacock series ‘Chasing The Dream?’ Has your episode aired yet?
It was an incredible experience. The show’s premise is that it’s someone’s dream to do something new. My episode is about an individual who was an aspiring dancer. It was a unique experience for me, and I am a sucker for people who have interesting stories. I had a phenomenal time doing it and sharing someone else’s story with the audience. No, it hasn’t aired yet, but it will air this season.
Dancing with the Stars airs live on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC and Disney+. The series streams the next day on Hulu.
