‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Judges Through the Years: Who Left and Why
When So You Think You Can Dance debuted on FOX in 2005, a panel of dance experts were tapped to discover the best up-and-coming performers.
Nigel Lythgoe, who cocreated the competition series alongside Simon Fuller, served as one of the longtime judges since the season 1 premiere. However, after cueing the audition music and marveling over the Top 12’s talents for 16 seasons, he announced his exit in March 2022.
Both Lythgoe and Mary Murphy — the conductor of the self-proclaimed “Hot Tamale Train” — were replaced ahead of 2022’s season 17. Former contestant and All-Star mentor Stephen “tWitch” Boss joined forces with JoJo Siwa and Matthew Morrison to find the country’s next top dancer.
Morrison left in the middle of the choreography round after a “minor infraction” on set when he was accused of sending “inappropriate” texts to a female contestant. The Glee alum denied the claims before “dance enthusiast” Leah Remini took his place.
SYTYCD planned to clean house for 2024’s season 18, enlisting SYTYCD alum Allison Holker (Boss’ widow) and Dancing With the Stars vet Maksim Chmerkovskiy as judges.
Scroll below for all the SYTYCD judges through the years and why they left the show:
Judge for: Seasons 1-16 Reason for exit: Though show producers did not confirm why Lythgoe was ousted from his longtime role, he tweeted that he was not “asked to be on the judging panel” for 2022’s season 17. Lythgoe planned to return to the dance competition for 2024’s season 18. However, he stepped down from the judging panel in January after multiple allegations of sexual assault against him. (He denied the claims.) Adam Rose/FOX
Judge for: Seasons 1-6, 8-11, 14-16 Reason for exit: Murphy was released from her contract ahead of the 2015 season, according to a statement from her spokesperson at the time. While she eventually came back for seasons 14 through 16, she was also cut from the season 17 judging lineup. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
Judge for: Seasons 6-7 Reason for exit: The choreographer served as a mentor throughout the show’s tenure before taking a permanent seat at the judge’s table in season 6. A reason for his exit was not announced. Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Judge for: Season 7 Reason for exit: After frequently serving as a show choreographer and one-time judge, Michaels told People in 2020 that it was time to move on and seek other career opportunities. Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock
Judge for: Seasons 12-13 Reason for exit: While the former American Idol judge replaced Murphy amid contract negotiations, she only sat at the FOX table for two seasons and left in 2012. Throughout the summer series’ taping, Abdul was performing on the Total Package Tour with New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men, which likely conflicted with the shooting schedule. MediaPunch/Shutterstock
Judge for: Seasons 12-13 Reason for exit: While few details about the singer’s SYTYCD departure are known, he briefly appeared on the landmark 300th episode in June 2022 and recorded a sweet video message about being a part of the show’s legacy. Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Judge for: Season 13 Reason for exit: The Dance Moms alum, a teenager herself at the time, served as a judge and mentor of SYTYCD: The Next Generation. While most regular seasons require competitors to be at least 18 years old, the 2016 season featured younger aspiring artists who were under 18. INSTAR Images
Judge for: Seasons 14-15 Reason for exit: While an official reason behind the High School Musical star’s exit was not announced, she maintained a busy acting career that could have contributed to the decision. David Fisher/Shutterstock
Judge for: Season 15, Season 17 Reason for exit: Boss died by suicide in December 2022. He was 40 years old and is survived by wife Holker and their three kids. AFF-USA/Shutterstock
Judge for: Season 16 Reason for exit: While Gibson was slated to return to SYTYCD alongside Lythgoe and Murphy for season 17 pre-pandemic, the show went in a different direction upon its post-COVID return. Scott Kirkland/Fox/Picturegroup/Shutterstock
Judge for: Season 16 Reason for exit: The former contestant and All-Star mentor served as a judge during the 2019 season before the COVID-19 health crisis shut down production of the following series. Scott Kirkland/Fox/Picturegroup/Shutterstock
Judge for: Season 17 Reason for exit: The California native was ousted after allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to one of the contestants. He denied the claims in June 2022. Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock
Judge for: Season 17 Reason for exit: Remini has not shared a reason for her departure from the SYTYCD judging panel. Broadimage/Shutterstock
Judge for: Seasons 17-18 CraSH/ImageSPACE/Shutterstock
Judge for: Season 18 Unique Nicole/FilmMagic
Judge for: Season 18 Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
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