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Glee star Matthew Morrison recently made headlines for leaving the judges’ panel of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Season 17.
Earlier, he announced his exit citing issues with the production team and their protocols. Soon, the internet was rife with speculation and rumors, and one of them was that allegedly, Morrison was fired. The rumor stated that he was asked to leave after he had sent a “flirty” and inappropriate text message to a dancer.
The 43-year-old Broadway star recently shared a video on Instagram clarifying the situation. He shut down the rumors by reading out the actual text message in the clip.
What did Matthew Morrison say in the Instagram video?
Matthew Morrison stated in the Instagram video that he had nothing to hide and that the reports about him being fired due to a flirty message were “blatantly untrue.”
In the clip, he said:
“It’s really unfortunate that I have to sit here and defend myself and my family against blatantly untrue statements made anonymously, but I have nothing to hide. So, in the interest of transparency, I will read to you the one message that I wrote to a dancer on the show.”
He then read out the alleged message:
“Hey, it's Matthew. If you don't mind, would love to get your number and talk you through some things.”
Matthew Morrison further clarified that it was sent to a dancer, who shared “mutual respect for a choreographer” for over 20 years. Thus, he contacted her to help her find a job on SYTYCD as a choreographer.
He added:
“It’s devastating that we live in this world where gossip rules and people’s lives are being thrown around as clickbait. I think this is much bigger than me and this story. Gossip is toxic and it is destroying our society, and we need to do better.”
The Tony Award-nominated actor earlier confirmed his exit from SYTYCD in a statement, shared by People. It read:
“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. 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 will, however, appear in one more pre-taped episode, alongside judges JoJo Siwa and Stephen “tWitch” Boss.
No statement has been issued by the show’s production team about Matthew Morrison’s exit.
SYTYCD featured a new panel of judges this season
In Season 17, SYTYCD production changed the entire judges’ panel. Earlier, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe were regulars on the show, but now JoJo Siwa and Stephen “tWitch” Boss have replaced them. Matthew Morrison was also a part of the new panel.
Hosted by Cat Deeley, SYTYCD Season 17 airs new episode every Wednesday on Fox at 9.00 PM ET.
