Entertainment TV Matthew Morrison Fired from 'SYTYCD' for 'Flirty' Messages That Made Contestant 'Uncomfortable': Source "She felt uncomfortable with [Morrison's] line of comments and went to producers, who then got Fox involved," the source tells PEOPLE By Joelle Goldstein Joelle Goldstein Instagram Twitter Joelle Goldstein is the Staff Editor of TV for PEOPLE Digital. She has been with the brand for five years, beginning her time as a digital news writer, where she covered everything from entertainment news to crime stories and royal tours. Since then, she has worked as a writer-reporter on the Human Interest team and an associate editor on the TV team. In her current role, Joelle helps oversee all things TV, and enjoys being able to say she has to watch The Kardashians, America's Got Talent, Love Is Blind and Dancing with the Stars for her "work" responsibilities. Prior to joining PEOPLE, Joelle was employed at The Hollywood Reporter, where she was co-nominated at the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Magazine Article for feature cover story. She graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor's degree in Television-Radio (and an appearance in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Final Four!) People Editorial Guidelines and Dave Quinn Dave Quinn Instagram Twitter Dave Quinn is an Editor for PEOPLE, working across a number of verticals including the Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 31, 2022 06:45 PM Share Tweet Pin Email New details are emerging about Matthew Morrison's sudden departure from his judging gig on So You Think You Can Dance. A source close to the Fox reality show tells PEOPLE that Morrison, 43, was fired from the series "after he had an inappropriate relationship with a female contestant." "They didn't have sex, but he reached out to her through flirty direct messages on social media," the source says. "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." The source adds that Morrison and the unidentified female contestant "never met up off-set." "It was just messages that crossed the line," the source notes. Reps for Morrison and Fox did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Matthew Morrison. Mike Yarish/FOX Who Is Matthew Morrison's Wife? All About Renee Puente News that the Tony Award-nominated Broadway star had exited SYTYCD broke on Friday, a little more than a week after the dance competition series aired its season 17 premiere on May 18. At the time, Morrison said in a statement to PEOPLE that he was leaving the show after failing to follow "competition production protocols." "Having the opportunity to be a judge on So You Think You Can Dance was an incredible honor for me. Therefore, it is my deepest regret to inform you that I will be leaving the show," Morrison said in the statement. Matthew Morrison. Ian West/PA Images/Getty "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 continued. "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." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. As most of this season's episodes were already pre-taped, Morrison will likely appear in episodes through mid-June, according to Entertainment Weekly, adding that his replacement is expected to be brought in for the second part of the competition's filming. Morrison was part of a new panel of judges for season 17 that replaced Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy with JoJo Siwa and Stephen "tWitch" Boss. Cat Deeley returns as host this season.