Matthew Morrison was reportedly fired from SYTYCD for sending 'flirty' messages to contestant
More information about Matthew Morrison's abrupt exit from So You Think You Can Dance has come to light.
According to PEOPLE, a source close to the Fox dancing show said the actor, dancer, and singer-songwriter was relieved of his judging duties "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 told PEOPLE. "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 unnamed female contestant and Morrison reportedly "never met up off set," but the messages just "crossed the line."
Representatives for Morrison and Fox did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.
Mike Yarish/FOX Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, JoJo Siwa, and Matthew Morrison on 'So You Think You Can Dance'
Morrison announced last Friday that he was departing the show after breaking "production protocols" but didn't offer details. In a statement provided to EW, he called the gig an "incredible honor" and 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." He added, "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."
Morrison was part of an all-new judging panel on the show, which also includes JoJo Siwa and Stephen "tWitch" Boss. Since the dancing series' early episodes are all pretaped, Morrison will still appear on the show through mid-June. EW has learned that a new judge is expected to be brought in in time for the next part of the competition, beginning June 15, and an announcement about Morrison's successor is expected shortly.
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