Matthew Morrison Calls SYTYCD Allegations 'Blatantly Untrue' and Shares Message That Led to His Exit
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Matthew Morrison is speaking out following news of his exit from So You Think You Can Dance.
One day after a source told PEOPLE that Morrison, 43, was fired from the series for sending a female contestant "flirty" messages that made her "uncomfortable," the actor is setting the record straight about his alleged actions.
"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 the 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."
Morrison said his message allegedly read: "Hey, it's Matthew. If you don't mind, would love to get your number and talk you through some things."
"The end," he continued. "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."
"It's devastating that we live in this world where gossip rules and people's lives are being thrown around as clickbait," he noted. "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."
Concluding his video, Morrison said he "in no way" wanted this "to take away from the show" and wished the contestants and his fellow judges "all the best."
Ian West/PA Images/Getty Matthew Morrison
The actor's wife Renee Puente shared her husband's video to her Instagram Story and wrote a response of her own in a second slide. "It's been a wild ride… My husband has finally been given an opportunity to speak his truth. He has done so with such grace and integrity in a situation that is complex and incredibly complicated," she wrote.
"Gossip and cruelty are poison that have penetrated the depths of our society and somehow have made people forget their true nature- Love & compassion," she continued, adding a quote about "negativity" and another about how "letting go gives us freedom."
She concluded, "To all those who have shined love and light in our lives through this… thank you ... To all the rest- sending Love & Light."
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Matthew Morrison
News that the Tony Award-nominated Broadway star had exited SYTYCD broke on Friday, a little more than a week after the dance competition series aired its season 17 premiere on May 18.
At the time, Morrison said in a statement to PEOPLE that he was leaving the show after failing to follow "competition production protocols."
"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," Morrison said in the 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," he continued. "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."
Mike Yarish/FOX Matthew Morrison
RELATED: Matthew Morrison Exits So You Think You Can Dance After Not Following 'Production Protocols'
On Tuesday, a source close to the Fox reality show told PEOPLE that Morrison was fired from the series "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," the source says. "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."
The source added that Morrison and the unidentified female contestant "never met up off-set," but "it was just messages that crossed the line."
Reps for Morrison and Fox did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment at the time.
As most of this season's episodes were already pre-taped, Morrison will likely appear in episodes through mid-June, according to Entertainment Weekly, adding that his replacement is expected to be brought in for the second part of the competition's filming.
Morrison was part of a new panel of judges for season 17 that replaced Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy with JoJo Siwa and Stephen "tWitch" Boss. Cat Deeley returns as host this season.
Siwa, 19, recently clapped back at naysayers who claimed she didn't have the résumé to back up her place on the judges' panel. On Tuesday, she wasted no time responding to the digs, quote-tweeting one user's complaint and asking, "literally why tweet this?"
In a follow-up tweet, Siwa outlined her lengthy credentials: "18 Years of Dance Knowledge, 4 Major dance TV shows, I've hired over 1000 dancers. 16 Dance music videos," she wrote. "If you don't like me that's okay… but if you think I don't know about dance ya just sound silly."
