The 'So You Think You Can Dance' judge opens up to ET about expecting a third child with his wife and shares if he wants more!
Maksim Chmerkovskiy is so excited about the birth of his third child with his wife, Peta Murgatroyd, he's already thinking about the next one!
Chatting with ET's Rachel Smith about season 18 of So You Think You Can Dance, premiering March 4 on Fox, the professional dancer opens up about his growing family and how building that family is the greatest accomplishment of his life.
Peta, 37, and Maksim, 44, welcomed their first son, Shai, in January 2017 before tying the knot in July 2017. Rio was born in June of last year. The pair revealed earlier this month that they are expecting their third child.
In the Instagram post caption featuring a video of Peta humorously breaking the news to Maksim, the dancer shared that it took "one hour for me to get the courage to call him," adding that "when he wasn't catching on, we all couldn't stop laughing in the kitchen. I had the 'I'm so sick story,' the pickle, and 2 bottles HAHA! Oh Maks 🥴"
Defending how long it took for him to catch on to his wife's hint, Maksim tells ET, "But can you blame me? I mean, anybody in my position would be like, 'I kinda see it but that cannot be what you're trying to tell me!'"
Maksim shares that the couple had a "serious conversation" about the news, in which they discussed whether "this is an 'Oh my god, what are we doing' or is this an 'Oh my god, what a blessing!'"
The couple has been very candid about their parenthood journey, acknowledging the challenges they faced with miscarriages and IVF, which make this pregnancy even more special.
Noting that social media is an "extension" of their jobs' nature, Maksim added that he and his wife strive to be transparent with their fans because "that's your foundation."
"Otherwise you're faking it. We're very honest. No, we don't tell you everything [and] no, there's still a kind of, like, situation of what we keep to ourselves, but we're very honest with what you get to see when we do put it out because we put it out," he shared. "You're gonna have to see all of it with us."
Welcoming a third child while gearing up for a new season of So You Think You Can Dance has been a difficult dance of its own that Maksim says he's grateful for.
"It's a lot but there was a transition period. For me, I've always wanted the family, always wanted kids, it's documented. I wanted children before I wanted to be married and, you know, the biggest foundation block is Peta, when you meet the right one," he tells ET. "You want to do all the things with that person, and I think that we found each other in each other that way."
Maksim adds that he looks at single men his age who are "struggling" with being in their 40s, without the family and "without the drama of it all," realizing that it's also hard.
"You transition and you change as a person, and when that change happens, you get upset and depressed about missing things in life. And for me, I think... there are some things that you have to go through to feel accomplished," the father of two explains. "For me, it's not the Dancing With the Stars trophies. It's not dance trophies in general. It's the fact that I got a wife and kids and a house and I have a puppy that I miss, you know, and the time that we get to spend together is my time, period. I think you don't get to live that way if you didn't transition to this part of your life."
When it comes to his sons and getting ready to welcome their baby sibling, Maksim reveals that it's "very important" to him that their eldest, Shai, "doesn't fall into the trap of being the firstborn like I was."
The elder brother to fellow dancer Val Chmerkovskiy -- who became a first-time dad with his wife, Jenna Johnson, in January 2023 when she gave birth to their son, Rome -- Maksim tells ET that he doesn't want to do to his son "what I went through all my life."
"My life was beautiful, but I played [a large] part in Val's upbringing, being a babysitter when I didn't have to be because I was still too young myself but our parents had no choice," he recalls. "I have a choice and my choice is [that] I want my kid to grow up stress-free. I want him not to be responsible for his brothers; it's my responsibility. I want him to have his youth and I want him to be exactly what he is now -- he's confident, he's walking in the doors. I couldn't even come up to the building, you know? So he's doing things, he's living the way I want him to because I clearly remember some things that I wish I didn't have to do."
The reality competition judge adds that he wants his children to "love each other the way I love Val."
"We blinked and now Mom is knee-deep in grandkids," he quipped.
Despite his undeniable excitement, Maksim is keeping mum on one very important factor of Peta's pregnancy -- namely the baby's sex.
Telling ET that he will allow his wife to decide if she wants to announce that, the dancer adds that he's more concerned about figuring out names for the upcoming addition.
"It's the hardest thing, I think, about the baby stuff... You're giving somebody an identity, you know? You're giving somebody something to carry with pride," he pointed out.
Referencing his brother's 2018 book, I'll Never Change My Name: An Immigrant's American Dream from Ukraine to the USA to Dancing with the Stars, Maksim explains why he wants to give his and Peta's third child "something to be proud of."
"I think it starts with the name," he concludes.
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