Matthew Morrison can dance, but he won’t be able to judge. When So You Think You Can Dance returned for its 17th season earlier this month, it did so with a brand new set of judges.
It was announced that Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Laurieann Gibson (who had been permanent features on the judging panel since seasons 1, 3, and 16, respectively) would not be returning. Instead, this year’s contestants would be relying on Stephen “tWitch” Boss (himself a former competitor), reality star JoJo Siwa, and Glee actor Matthew Morrison to critique their dance moves.
With the show having not yet reached its live performance stage, Morrison revealed in a statement that he would not be continuing in the role.
“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 said. “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.”
Viewers can expect to see the 43-year-old actor in action for a few more weeks while the auditions air, with many speculating as to whom will fill his seat.
