So You Think You Can Dance fans slam ‘inexperienced’ Leah Remini as new judge after she replaces fired Matthew Morrison
SO You Think You Can Dance fans have slammed the show for hiring Leah Remini as the new judge to replace Matthew Morrison after he was fired.
They’ve blasted her lack of dance experience and insisted she “doesn’t belong” on the competition series.
Wednesday's broadcast marked Leah's debut as a judge on the show, which also happened to be SYTYCD's milestone 300th episode.
Though it was meant to be a celebratory occasion, it was riddled with scandal as Leah was coming in because previous judge, Matthew, had been fired for not following production protocols.
Plus, fans were less focused on the dancers and more focused on the fact that the new panelist didn't have much dance experience to contribute.
While Leah's fellow judges, Stephen 'tWitch' Boss and JoJo Siwa, are choreographers and dancers, the King of Queens actress is not.
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As such, viewers blasted the show for hiring someone who didn't have the proper qualifications, instead of bringing in a past beloved judge or a new professional.
One upset viewer asked the show on Twitter: “Why Leah? You don’t need celebrities as judges. We loved the dancer panel.”
Another insisted: “I’ve always appreciated the expertise of the judges.
“I’m sorry but Leah Remini doesn’t belong on this show.”
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A third angry fan simply wrote: “I hate that Leah is a judge.”
“I like Leah Remini but how is it possible they couldn't find a trained dancer to be a replacement judge,” a fourth confused Twitter user wondered.
Another wrote: “She doesn't know dance. The judges should all know dance.
“Was there seriously no former competitor or choreographer available?”
Leah, 52, said in a statement about joining SYTYCD, according to The Hollywood Reporter: “I am thrilled to join So You Think You Can Dance on its milestone 300th episode.
“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.”
While this will be the 51-year-old’s first time joining SYTYCD, she was part of the cast of a different dance show a few years ago.
She competed on season 17 of Dancing with the Stars in 2013, coming in fifth place.
Later, Leah returned to guest co-host the competition series for a few weeks in seasons 19 and 21.
She joined SYTYCD after Matthew was let go for having an "inappropriate relationship with a female contestant."
A source told PEOPLE of Matthew's firing: "They didn't have sex, but he reached out to her through flirty direct messages on social media."
The insider went on: "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."
According to the source, Matthew and the contestant never met up outside of the set, but said that the messages "crossed the line."
The Glee alum, who's married to entrepreneur Renee Morrison and shares three children with her, broke his silence on the firing soon after.
Matthew took to Instagram to clear the air and set the record straight.
Looking straight into the camera, he said: "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.
"So, in the interest of transparency, I will read to you the one message that I wrote to a dancer on the show.
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"'Hey, if you don't mind would love to get your number and talk you through some things.' The end."
He went on: "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 her a job as a choreographer on the show.
