Say What? Matthew Morrison Reads 'Flirty' Message He Sent To 'SYTYCD' Contestant That Got Him Fired
Matthew Morrison came out swinging, reading the "flirty" message he sent to a So You Think You Can Dance contestant that got him fired.
The 43-year-old Glee alum — who is married with two children — defended his actions by reading out loud what he allegedly sent a female dancer which violated production protocols.
Morrison was supposed to be a judge on this season's competition series. He even filmed the audition process.
"It's 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. So, in the interest of transparency ... I will read to you the one message I wrote to a dancer on the show," he spewed in a video on Instagram Thursday.
Morrison then picked up his phone and repeated the message. "Hey! It's Matthew. If you don't mind, would love to get your number and talk you through some things ..." he read.
The actor-turned-unemployed SYTYCD judge claimed he was reaching out because they have a "mutual respect" for a choreographer. He alleged he was attempting to get the contestant a job — a big no-no, according to the show's contract obtained by RadarOnline.com.
"It's devastating we live in this world where gossip rules and people's lives are being thrown around as clickbait," Morrison continued. "I think this is much bigger than me and this story. Gossip is toxic and destroying our society."
He signed off by saying he doesn't want the scandal to take away from the show.
The married star shocked the world when he announced his abrupt exit from SYTYCD last week.
"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," Morrison said at the time.
Days later, it was revealed he had sent "inappropriate" direct messages to one of the contestants on the show.
"They didn't have sex, but he reached out to her through flirty direct messages on social media," an insider told People. "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."
They added that Morrison "never met up off-set" with the contestant, but the messages he sent "crossed the line."
Game shows have strict rules and no-contact laws. Radaronline.com obtained the SYTYCD contracts that contestants were forced to sign. The documents lay out the ground rules on what actions are fireable offenses. We're told judges were expected to sign similar contracts.
Insiders now claim that Morrison was unaware of the no-contact rule.
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