The panel of So You Think You Can Dance is undergoing yet another change. Only two months after being announced as one of the new judges on the competition show, Glee star Matthew Morrison is out. In a statement announcing his departure, the actor stated that he "did not follow competition production protocols." But, a new report from People includes additional alleged details, with a source claiming that Morrison was fired because he privately reached out to a contestant with some messages that made her "uncomfortable." Best Life has reached out to Morrison and to Fox for comment but has not yet received a response. Read on to learn more about the situation and what Morrison supposedly sent to trigger an investigaton.
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Morrison was one of the new judges brought in for this season.
Morrison was announced as one of the new judges for Season 17 of So You Think You Can Dance in April, along with dancer and former contestant Stephen "tWitch" Boss (who had previously judged in Season 15) and dancer JoJo Siwa. Past judges include Mary Murphy, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, and actor Vanessa Hudgens. The season premiered on May 18.
He announced he was leaving soon after the premiere.
On May 27, Morrison announced that he would no longer be a judge on SYTYCD.
"Having the opportunity to be a judge on So You Think You Can Dance was an incredible honor for me," he told People in a statement. "Therefore, it is my deepest regret to inform you that I will be leaving the show."
Morrison went on to explain how much of the season he'd already been a part of.
"After filming the audition rounds for the show and completing the selection of the 12 finalists, I did not follow competition production protocols, preventing me from being able to judge the competition fairly," he said. "I cannot apologize enough to all involved and I will be watching alongside you all on what I know will be one of the best seasons yet."
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He allegedly sent "flirty" messages to a contestant.
Morrison's statement acknowledged he did not follow protocols and would not be able to "judge the competition fairly," but did not go into detail about his misstep. According to what a source told People, his departure allegedly had to do with messages he sent to a contestant.
A source claimed to People that the Glee star was let go "after he had an inappropriate relationship with a female contestant."
According to the source, "They didn't have sex, but he reached out to her through flirty direct messages on social media. She felt uncomfortable with his line of comments and went to producers, who then got Fox involved. He was fired after they did their own investigation."
The source added that Morrison and the contestant "never met up off-set" and that the sum total of their relationship "was just messages that crossed the line."
UPDATE: On June 2, Morrison addressed the incident with a video posted to his Instagram. He claimed that he had only privately contacted the still-unnamed contestant because he wanted to talk about getting one of their mutual friends hired on the show as a choreographer. And then he read what he says is the only text he sent: "Hey! It's Matthew. If you don't mind, would love to get your number and talk you through some things."
Morrison went on to say, "It's devastating that we live in this world where gossip rules and people's lives are being thrown around as clickbait," and to wish everyone still participating in the season well.
A few more of his episodes are yet to air.
According to Entertainment Weekly, since the episodes early in the season are pre-taped, Morrison will still appear on the show through mid-June. The publication reports that a new judge will be brought on to replace Morrison for the next part of the competition, which begins airing June 15. No word yet on who will be taking his chair on the panel.
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Lia Beck Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more.Read moreFiled UnderCelebrities • Entertainment • NewsRead This NextMatthew Morrison Reveals His Grinch Inspiration
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