Matthew Morrison was fired from SYTYCD job for ‘inappropriate relationship with female contestant’

Matthew Morrison was fired last week as a judge on the Fox TV show So You Think You Can Dance ‘after he had an inappropriate relationship with a female contestant.’

The contestant spoke with producers about the 43-year-old entertainer after he ‘reached out to her through flirty direct messages on social media,’ a source told People Tuesday, noting that ‘they didn’t have sex’ and ‘never met up off-set.’

The source told the outlet the contestant ‘felt uncomfortable with his line of comments and went to producers, who then got Fox involved.’

The latest: Matthew Morrison, 43, was fired last week as a judge on the Fox TV show So You Think You Can Dance ‘after he had an inappropriate relationship with a female contestant.’ He was pictured in NYC last year 

Details: Morrison and his wife of seven years, Renee Puente, 37, are parents to two children, son Revel James Makai, four, and 10-month-old daughter Phoenix Monroe. They were seen in an Instagram post in March 

Morrison ‘was fired after they did their own investigation,’ the source said, adding that ‘it was just messages that crossed the line.’

Morrison and his wife of seven years, Renee Puente, 37, are parents to two children, son Revel James Makai, four, and 10-month-old daughter Phoenix Monroe. 

Morrison announced his departure from his judging role last week, saying in a statement to the outlet, ‘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.

‘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.’

Puente took to Instagram last week with a post titled ‘GRATITUDE JOURNAL’ accompanied by a shot with Morrison and their son, in which she said she was dealing with a difficult time 

Morrison posted a shot of Puente with their two children after a day at Disneyland earlier this month

Morrison and his wife of seven years, Renee Puente, 37, were snapped in NYC in 2019

The Glee actor 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.’

Puente took to Instagram last week with a post titled ‘GRATITUDE JOURNAL’ accompanied by a shot with Morrison and their son, in which she said she was dealing with a difficult time.

‘I am so beyond happy and grateful that I have an outlet,’ she said. ‘That I have tools to reach for when I’m feeling overwhelmed and like I’m sinking to the bottom of the ocean.’

Puente continued: ‘I am so thankful to be able to have days that allow me to play and be merry so, when the weight of the world feels too heavy, I can take a step back and remember what truly matters… my husband and children.

Puente said she has a loving and supportive family who ‘holds [her] when [she needs] to be held,’ adding, ‘I’m alive. Breathing. Praying.’

Puente said staying grateful ‘for even the smallest things’ was key ‘when life seems really morose, and the darkness is thick and heavy.⠀⠀⠀

‘You may feel wobbly and unstable. That’s when you call on your tribe for help.’

Morrison announced he was leaving the series in a statement last week

Puente said last week that staying grateful ‘for even the smallest things’ was key ‘when life seems really morose, and the darkness is thick and heavy.’ She was seen in an Instagram Stories post in 2019 

Short-lived: Morrison’s stint as a judge on the Fox competition ended swiftly

Puente said that it’s ‘F***ING dark out there right now’ and advised others to ‘do what you can to bring light upon the earth.

‘Love upon those who are REALLLLLLLYYYYY HURTING, and compassion in your hearts to carry us all together.’

Morrison, Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss and JoJo Siwa were the judges for the 17th and current season, which began with an auditions episode May 18. 

FOX revealed to Us Weekly that they ‘will soon announce a new judge to the series for the next wave of the competition starting on June 15th featuring the Top 12 performing for America’s vote.’

In an interviewing published online by Broadway World last week, Matthew gushed of the program: ‘I love this show. I kind of, since the beginning, really, really, I feel like I grew up with the show in a way.’ 

Matthew said his previous work in Broadway musicals gave him ‘credibility’ to perform his judging duties.

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The actor was seen with wife Renee and son Revel James Makai in December of 2021

Company: Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss and JoJo Siwa remain the judges for the 17th and current season, which began with an auditions episode last Wednesday

Sizzling heartthrob: Matthew is pictured on a 2009 episode of the long-running musical TV show Glee, which made him a star

‘I grew up as a break dancer, like when I was really young and then I transitioned into, you know, ballet, tap, and jazz and my first roles on Broadway before I started doing leads were as a dancer. I was in the ensemble and kind of worked my way up the Broadway ranks. I feel like I studied and trained just like all these people are doing.’

Meanwhile tWitch shot to fame as a contestant on the series and then achieved international recognition as the sidekick on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 

After becoming the runner-up on So You Think You Can Dance in 2008, he returned to shake a leg on the program multiple times before becoming a judge in 2018.

Although he was away from the series during the 2019 season, he has been declared a permanent judge for the present run.