Leah Remini will officially be taking Matthew Morrison’s seat on the judging panel of So You Think You Can Dance for the remainder of its current season.
The return of the hit reality dance reality show, which has been on hiatus for the past two years, is currently filming its 17th season. The judges for the show include 19-year-old megastar JoJo Siwa, dancer Stephen “tWitch” Boss, and previously, actor Matthew Morrison.
As previously reported by Monsters and Critics, Morrison announced his exit from the panel in late May after claiming he “failed to follow production protocols.” It was later released that Morrison sent direct messages to a female contestant on the show that were deemed inappropriate, thus terminating his position as a judge.
Leah Remini will take Morrison’s place as SYTYCD judge
After a lull of uncertainty as to who would take over the hot seat, the show announced actress Leah Remini as its replacement judge on Friday.
Although never a part of So You Think You Can Dance in the past, she was previously a contestant on Season 17 of Dancing With The Stars. She also returned to the reality show as a co-host for its 19th and 20th seasons and as a guest judge for Season 28.
Remini will start her newest gig on SYTYCD’s 300th milestone episode, which is set to air on Wednesday, June 15th on FOX.
The actress took to Instagram to share her excitement with followers by posting an orange traffic cone with a sign that showed her reserved parking spot for the show.
“I’m thrilled to share the news that I’ll be joining “So You Think You Can Dance” as a judge,” she wrote. “I look forward to guiding these incredibly talented artists as a fan of the show and a great admirer of dancers! I can’t wait to work with @itsjojosiwa, @sir_twitch_alot, and @catdeeley!”
“I am thrilled to join So You Think You Can Dance on its milestone 300th episode,” Remini also said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “I look forward to guiding these incredibly talented artists through this competition as a fan of the show and a great admirer of dancers.”
“I can’t wait to see the artistry that the contestants bring to the stage,” she continued.
Matthew Morrison tried to clear his name for inappropriate behavior
After much speculation about Morrison’s departure from the show, a source revealed to People that the actor had sent inappropriate messages to a current contestant on the show. Although the two never met up in person, she felt uncomfortable with his behavior and felt he had crossed the line.
“They didn’t have sex, but he reached out to her through flirty direct messages on social media,” the source said. “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.”
Morrison took to his Instagram to share his side of the story and clear his name by claiming to have sent the direct message for “work purposes.”
“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 said. “So, in the interest of transparency, I will read to you the one message I wrote to a dancer on the show.”
The alleged message read, “Hey, it’s Matthew. If you don’t mind, would love to get your number and talk you through some things.”
“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,” he stated.
Whether Morrison felt the message crossed the line or not, he was still fired over the ordeal and will only appear in the first four pre-recorded episodes.