Why is judge Matthew Morrison leaving the judges' desk on "So You Think You Can Dance"
so quickly after taking the job?
Was he fired for doing something inappropriate?
Keep watching for what's come out so far.
Matthew Morrison's brief time on "So You Think You Can Dance" has come to an abrupt end.
The Emmy-nominated actor, who starred as Will Schuester on "Glee" for six seasons, joined
the dance competition for Season 17.
The show returned to Fox on May 18, 2022, after the COVID-19 pandemic paused production,
this time with a new cast of judges.
Rounding out the judging panel for "tWitch" Boss and YouTube personality JoJo Siwa.
Morrison tweeted in April,
"Thrilled to be heading back to my dance roots as I join the 'SYTYCD' family!
Join me for the fresh-new season of ['So You Think You Can Dance'] May 18."
"Let's do this thing.
I'm so ready to go."
Just over a month after announcing that he was joining the show, Morrison had to issue
a statement to People on May 27 about his sudden departure.
He said:
"Having the opportunity to be a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance" was an incredible
honor for me.
Therefore, it is my deepest regret to inform you that I will be leaving the show."
He further added,
"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."
Immediately following Morrison's statement, there were few details about the nature of
his infraction of "protocols."
A source claimed to Us Weekly that it was not a major incident, though it was apparently
major enough for him to have to leave the show.
Internet sleuths began to speculate about what could have caused the sudden exit.
One tweeted,
"His statement (compromised ability to judge it fairly) makes it seem like he was in contact
with a contestant outside the show."
Another took "protocols" as a reference to precautions for COVID-19, wondering,
"So he didn't get vaccinated?"
It seems the first theory was closer to the truth.
By May 31, more details started to emerge regarding the so-called "protocols" Morrison
did not adhere to.
A source linked to the Fox series shared with People that, quote, "he had an inappropriate
relationship with a female contestant."
The source claimed,
"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."
Morrison, who has two children with wife Renee Puente, had not responded to these claims
as of the making of this video.
He ended his original statement,
"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."
He really did seem excited about the show at the start, saying,
"The show is all about heart.
It has a lot of heart.
And I'm just happy to, you know, help mentor and guide these young artists."
Judge and young dance queen JoJo Siwa naturally got swept in on the announcement of Matthew
Morrison's departure from "So You Think You Can Dance," but not in the way you might expect.
Siwa's response mainly involved dealing with an online troll.
One critic of the former "Dance Moms" star tweeted,
"I saw the headline 'Judge Leaves #sytycd' and got all excited.
Yes!
[JoJo Siwa] was out!
But, nope.
It was Matthew Morrison.
[...] I thought [Morrison] brought the broadway perspective to the show.
Maybe not an expert on dance, but on showmanship.
Still won't watch."
Siwa is no stranger to online hate, but rather than let this one slide, she responded with
her own credentials, tweeting back,
"18 Years of Dance Knowledge, 4 Major dance TV shows, I've hired over 1000 dancers, 16
Dance music videos.
If you don't like me that's okay [...] but if you think I don't know about dance ya just
sound silly."
When the return of "So You Think You Can Dance" was announced, Siwa was thrilled to join the
panel of the long-running show.
In 2021, she was the runner-up on "Dancing with the Stars," marking a huge milestone
in her career as a contestant.
But like her dance resume shows, the former Nickelodeon star is ready to share feedback
with dancers, with or without former co-judge Morrison behind the desk.
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