Glee Star Matthew Morrison Shares Message He Says Got Him Fired for ‘Inappropriate’ Conduct
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Matthew Morrison has defended himself against allegations of “inappropriate” conduct that got him fired from So You Think You Can Dance.
Morrison joined the show as a judge in April and only appeared on two episodes of the series before announcing his exit.
“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 wrote in a statement. “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.”
People magazine further reported that Morrison was ousted “after he had 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,” an anonymous source 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 has since shared his side of the story, sharing a video message in a Thursday night Instagram post:
View this post on Instagram
“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,” he said in the video. “So in the interest of transparency, I will read to you the one message that I wrote to a dancer on the show.
Morrison went on to read the message: “‘Hey, it’s Matthew. If you don’t mind, would love to get your number and talk you through some things.'”
“The end. I sent this because this dancer and I both share a mutual respect for a choreographer that I’ve known for over 20 years, and I was trying to help her get a job as a choreographer on the show,” he added.
Morrison has been married Renee Puente since 2014, and she also shared his video message on Instagram, writing, “Gossip and cruelty are poison that have penetrated the depths of our society and somehow have made people forget their true nature.”
The actor also pointed to the consequences of rumors, saying “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,” he said. “And in no way do I want this to take away from the show, because dance has always been a unifying and healing modality, and I genuinely wish all the contestants and my fellow judges all the best.”
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