Update, Friday, May 27 at 11:52 p.m.: Much like his former co-worker JoJo Siwa’s iconic high pony, Matthew Morrison has been cut. From the judging panel of season 17 of So You Think You Can Dance, that is. According to Us Weekly, Morrison will be leaving Fox’s dance competition show due to a “minor infraction.†“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 said in a statement. “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.†He didn’t elaborate any further on what rules he violated, and there’s been no word yet on whether a replacement judge will join Siwa and Stephen “tWitch†Boss in evaluating this year’s contestants now. Perhaps this means there’s finally room for show-creator Nigel Lythgoe again.
Original story published April 4, 2022 follows.
Ah, we see that Mr. Schue is still making friends with teenagers. Per Deadline, 18-year-old JoJo Siwa will serve as a judge alongside Glee’s Matthew Morrison on season 17 of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. The new hires will join Stephen “tWitch†Boss, a returning judge and former SYTYCD dancer. We wonder whether Siwa will be giving Gucci gifts to any of her co-workers on this show or if that expensive tradition will remain unique to her historic turn on Dancing With the Stars.
The new season of SYTYCD, which has been on hold since COVID-19 shut production down in 2020, will premiere May 18. For the uninitiated, the competition show asks dancers ages 18 to 30 (except on Maddie Ziegler’s season for kids) to demonstrate their skill in a variety of styles from breaking to ballroom and beyond. This year, Cat Deeley will resume her role as host, but one familiar face will be missing: Show co-creator Nigel Lythgoe said he wasn’t asked to be a judge again. He’ll still be involved as an executive producer, but we won’t see him onscreen cuing the music anymore. Perhaps that role will now go to Siwa? She’s definitely used to running a show.