Matthew Morrison out as So You Think You Can Dance judge after breaking 'production protocols'

Matthew Morrison has exited his role as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance a little more than a week after the season 17 premiere, following a failure 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," Morrison said in a statement provided to EW on Friday. "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."

The actor, dancer, and singer-songwriter 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."

Details about Morrison's breach of protocol were not provided.

Mike Yarish/FOX Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, JoJo Siwa, and Matthew Morrison on 'So You Think You Can Dance'

Morrison was part of an all-new judging panel on the show, which also includes JoJo Siwa and Stephen "tWitch" Boss. The trio replaced judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy, the former of whom said he was not asked to return for the season, which follows a two-year, COVID-19-driven hiatus for the series. (For her part, Murphy told EW that she'll be cheering on this crop of dancers from home.) Cat Deeley returned as host for season 17, but is sitting it out as a judge this time around.

As is the case for many reality competition shows, the dancing series' early episodes are all pretaped, so Morrison will still appear on the show through mid-June. A source tells EW 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.

New episodes of So You Think You Can Dance air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

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