Emerson Phillips
Matthew Morrison got the boot as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance after he sent numerous inappropriate messages to a female contestant on the show.
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A source told PEOPLE that Morrison was fired for what was deemed “an inappropriate relationship with a female contestant.”
“They didn’t have sex, but he reached out to her through flirty direct messages on social media,” the source close to the show told the magazine. “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 and the contestant “never met up off-set,” according to the source, “it was just messages that crossed the line.”
Morrison gave a slightly different version of events, claiming that he failed to “follow competition production protocols, preventing me from being able to judge the competition fairly.”
His full statement read, “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.
“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.”
The 43-year-old actor, known for his starring role in Glee, is married and has two children with his wife of seven years, 37-year-old Renee Puente. He regularly posts loving tributes to his wife and kids – Revel James Makai is four, and Phoenix Monroe, turns one next month.
The day after Morrison left the show, Puente took to social media and wrote about needing “tools to reach for when I’m feeling overwhelmed and like I’m sinking to the bottom of the ocean” and “when the weight of the world feels too heavy.”
“When life seems really morose, and the darkness is thick and heavy, let gratitude for even the smallest things help get you back on your feet,” she wrote. “It’s F^{¥ING [sic] dark out there right now my people.”
