After his abrupt departure from So you think you can danceFormer judge Matthew Morrison has addressed speculation that he had an inappropriate relationship with a season 17 contestant.
In an Instagram video posted Thursday night, Morrison appears to be obliquely addressing a recent People article in which an unnamed source claimed that Morrison was fired from the Fox series for sending “flirty direct messages” to a female competitor. After calling the allegations “blatantly false,” Morrison reads aloud “the only message” he says he sent to a contestant.
“‘Hey, I’m Matthew. If you don’t mind, I’d love to get your number and tell you a few things. The end,” Morrison recites. “I sent this because this dancer and I share a mutual respect for a choreographer 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 like a click bait,” he continues. “I think this is much bigger than me and this story. Gossip is toxic and they are destroying our society, and we need to do better.”
Morrison confirmed his departure from the dance competition on May 27, just one week after making his debut as a judge in the season 17 premiere. Morrison said in a statement at the time: “I did not follow production protocols competition, which prevented me from being able to judge the competition fairly. “
Morrison was part of a new SYTYCD jury along with former contestant Stephen “tWitch” Boss and JoJo Siwa for Season 17, the show’s first season in three years. Since the first episodes of the season are all pre-recorded, Morrison will continue to appear until mid-June. A replacement for him on the jury is still in process.
“I can’t apologize enough to everyone involved,” Morrison said in a statement last week, “and I’ll be watching with all of you what I know will be one of the best seasons so far.”