Matthew Morrison Axed From ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ Who Will Be the New Judge?
Matthew Morrison had no chance of judging who should be removed from the competition, because he's the one who gets the boot.
Matthew Morrison Out of "So You Think You Can Dance"
Alongside Stephen "Twitch" Boss and Jojo Siwa, the alumnus of "Glee" has joined the judging panel of the 17th season of the Fox reality dance competition series "So You Think You Can Dance."
A little more than a week after the debut, though, the Tony-nominated Broadway performer is on the way out for violating "competition production protocols."
He made the announcement himself and in the process, also apologized for the violation he made - although it is not really what exactly he violated.
"Having the opportunity to be a judge on 'So You Think You Can Dance' was an incredible honor for me," Morrison said in a statement, as reported by Variety. "Therefore, it is my deepest regret to inform you that I will be leaving the show. 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 added, "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."
The nature of Morrison's protocol violation has not yet been disclosed, but an unidentified source informed Us Weekly, which broke the story, that it was a "small transgression."
As preliminary rounds of the competition are prerecorded, the actor will continue to appear in four upcoming episodes until mid-June.
Who Will Be The New Judge?
In the following weeks, a replacement for Morrison is anticipated to be announced. According to Us Weekly, a Fox spokesman stated that the network will soon reveal a new judge for the next round of competition beginning on June 15 featuring the Top 12 performing for America's vote.
Morrison was selected as a new "So You Think You Can Dance" judge in April after the network decided to revamp the series after a two-year break due to pandemic. The actor was hired to replace Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy, the show's original judges, who were not asked to return. Cat Deeley has remained the show's host.
Morrison stated, upon learning of his casting, that he was thrilled to be returning to his dance roots. Unfortunately, he could not stay long.
