Leah Remini Joins ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Judges Panel, Replaces Matthew Morrison

Lynette Rice
·3 min read
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If you can trip the light fantastic, Leah Remini may have some honest feedback for you.

The actress/producer is joined the judging panel of Fox’s So You Think Can Dance alongside Stephen “tWitch” Boss and JoJo Siwa. Remini make her debut on the milestone 300th episode that airs Wednesday, June 15.

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Remini is taking over for Matthew Morrison, who was let go earlier this month. At the time, Morrison said his departure was due to failing to adhere to “competition production protocols, preventing me from being able to judge the competition fairly.”

“I am thrilled to join So You Think You Can Dance on its milestone 300th episode,” said Remini in a statement. “I look forward to guiding these incredibly talented artists through this competition as a fan of the show and a great admirer of dancers. I can’t wait to see the artistry that the contestants bring to the stage!”

The 300th episode will celebrate the show’s legacy and introduce this season’s Top 12 dancers, selected to move on to the SYTYCD studio to showcase their talents in various dance genres, including contemporary, tap, hip-hop, ballroom, animation, breaking and more.

After a report in People insinuated that there was more to Morrison’s dismissal, the actor responded to the allegations via 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 began in a video posted to Instagram last week. “So, in the interest of transparency, I will read to you the one message I wrote to a dancer on the show.”

“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 began in a video posted to Instagram on Thursday. “So, in the interest of transparency, I will read to you the one message I wrote to a dancer on the show.”

He then read the alleged message. “Hey, it’s Matthew. If you don’t mind, would love to get your number and talk you through some things.”

“The end,” he said after reading. “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, “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.”

SYTYCD is from 19 Entertainment (a part of Sony Pictures Television) and MRC. The series is executive-produced by co-creator Nigel Lythgoe, Jeff Thacker, Rosie Seitchik, Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman on behalf of 19 Entertainment. Seitchik also serves as showrunner.

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