Leah Remini Responds to Critics of Her Judging 'So You Think You Can Dance'
Leah Remini is defending her position as a new judge on So You Think You Can Dance after being questioned about her qualifications. After joining Season 17 of the Fox show after Matthew Morrison stepped down for not adhering to the "competition production protocols," the King of Queens actress has faced criticism from fans, which she addressed in a new Instagram video.
"For the one guy who's like.... 'Why is Leah Remini judging a dance show?'" she says in the video. "Because I am! I love dancing, and I've been ballroom dancing. I've got my own dance studio, I've been taking ballroom, cha-cha, rumba, jive, I do it all!" She continued, "I'm having a great time, I'm not even there as a dancer, I'm there as somebody who just enjoys dancing." Remini also noted that SYTYCD is about judging the contestants' entertainment skills, adding, "Just let me enjoy it!"
Remini replaced Morrison last month after the Glee alum was accused of sending inappropriate messages to one of the show's contestants, an accusation he denied in a social media video. "It's really unfortunate to have to sit here and defend myself and my family against blatantly untrue statements made anonymously," the 43-year-old former judge said on Instagram. "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: 'Hey, it's Matthew. If you don't mind, would love to get your number and talk you through some things.' The end. ...I was trying to help her get a job as a choreographer on the show."
Remini isn't the only judge whose qualifications have been judged by SYTYCD fans. JoJo Siwa clapped back on Twitter last month at a fan who said they wished it was her who would have stepped down over Morrison. "Literally why tweet this?" she responded, before going through her dance resume. "18 Years of Dance Knowledge, 4 Major dance TV shows, I've hired over 1000 dancers, 16 Dance music videos," she listed, adding, "If you don't like me that's okay ... but if you think I don't know about dance ya just sound silly."
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