Matthew Morrison is exiting So You Think You Can Dance.
“Having the opportunity to be a judge on So You Think You Can Dance was an incredible honor for me,” Matthew said in a statement. “Therefore, it is my deepest regret to inform you that I will be leaving the show.”
His reason for leaving SYTYCD two weeks after season 17 premiered on FOX isn’t a scheduling conflict, an emergency or an illness.
“I did not follow competition production protocols”
“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 explained. “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.”
Uh. What? Did he befriend one of the contestants? Invite them over for a bar-b-q? Offer them a job outside of the show? A source tells US Magazine that it was a minor infraction that caused Matt to leave the series. So if it was no big deal, why not explain what happened?
The source notes that while Matthew is “disappointed,” he’s “happy to have left on good terms,” adding: “He plans to spend time with his family and is excited about what is next.”
Season 17 kicked off on Thursday, May 18, after a 3 year absence due to the pandemic. The Glee actor sat on the judges panel alongside JoJo Siwa and Stephen “tWitch” Boss.
FOX reps told Us that the network “will soon announce a new judge to the series for the next wave of the competition starting on June 15th featuring the Top 12 performing for America’s vote.”
Bring back Nigel Lythgoe!
The network has an easy casting decision to make, am I right? And they won’t even have to interview anybody. This person is ready and willing to go…BRING BACK NIGEL LYTHGOE!
Nigel is the creator and long-time judge on the dance competition. But when SYTYCD returned from the COVID hiatus, FOX decided to take the show in a different direction. i.e. a younger and fresher judges panel. Nigel still retains an executive producer credit on the show.
