The actor was fired from the dance competition series after a female contestant said she received 'uncomfortable' messages from him.
Matthew Morrison says he was fired from So You Think You Can Dance after sending one single message to a female contestant he was trying to help land a job on the show.
The 43-year-old actor took to his Instagram account on Thursday and posted a 1 minute video and called the "flirty messages" allegations "blatantly untrue." In that video, Morrison sought to "clarify" the events that led to his dismissal from the dance competition series last week.
"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," Morrison said. "So, in the interest of transparency, I will read to you the one message tha tI wrote to a dancer on the show."
Morrison then grabbed his phone and read aloud, "Hey, it's Matthew. If you don't mind, would love to get your number and talk you through some things." After reading that text message, the actor looked into the camera and said, "The end." Morrison later explained why he sent that one text message.
"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."
Morrison then blasted the episode as "toxic" gossip that "is destroying our society."
"It's devastating we live in this world where gossip rules and people's lives are being thrown around as click-bait," he said. "I think this is much bigger than me and this story. Gossip is toxic and it is destroying our society. And we need to do better. And in no way do I want to this to take away from the show because dance [has] always been a unifying and healing modality, and I genuinely wish all the contestants and my fellow judges the best."
A source tells ET, "Matthew wasn't aware of the no contact rule in his judge's contract for SYTYCD. He has previous experience working on dance shows in the U.K. where collaborating with contestants was encouraged. He didn't think this was going to be an issue."
Morrison told Us Weekly last week that he bowed out of the show due to not following "competition production protocols," though he did not elaborate, but Us Weekly, citing a source, said a "minor infraction" triggered the actor's departure.
"Having the opportunity to be a judge on So You Think You Can Dance was an incredible honor for me," the statement read. "Therefore, it is my deepest regret to inform you that I will be leaving the show."
He added, "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. 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."
But, just days later, a source told ET that Morrison was fired over "uncomfortable" messages he sent to a female contestant.
"Matthew was let go from SYTYCD after Fox did an internal investigation," the source said. "A female contestant received messages from Matthew on social media and felt uncomfortable about the tone. She brought this up to Fox executives who took it very seriously and after looking into it made the decision that Matthew crossed the line."
"Fox has provided the contestant with support and offered her any additional resources she may need," the source continued.
ET has reached out to both Morrison's reps and Fox for comment.
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