JoJo Siwa will return as a judge for the next season of “So You Think You Can Dance,” replacing former series regular Nigel Lythgoe, who resigned in early January amid sexual assault allegations.
The “Dance Moms” alum also served on the judging panel last season.
“We're doing our happy dance because @itsjojosiwa is back on our judging panel for season 18 of #SYTYCD 🎉,” the show said. announced in X (formerly Twitter) Friday afternoon.
Lythgoe was removed from the Fox dance competition after Paula Abdul and two former contestants from one of the producer's shows accused him of sexual assault in separate lawsuits.
The show “will continue, albeit without Nigel Lythgoe, to ensure it remains committed to the contestants, who have worked incredibly hard for the opportunity to compete on our stage,” “SYTYCD” production companies (19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions) and Fox said in a joint statement in January.
This is the second consecutive season in which the producers of “SYTYCD” have realigned the show's judging panel.
In season 17, which aired last year, Leah Remini replaced Matthew Morrison after the “Glee” alum failed to comply with “competition protocols.”
At the time, it was reported that Morrison had formed “an inappropriate relationship with a contestant,” a claim he later addressed in a video posted to Instagram.
In the video, he recited the direct message that he said led to his firing, which read: “'Hey, it's Matthew. If you don't mind, I'd love to get his number and explain a few things to you.'”
“The end,” he said in the video. “I sent this because this dancer and I share a mutual respect for a choreographer I have known for over 20 years and was trying to help her get a job as a choreographer on the show.”
In Lythgoe's case, the alleged harassment occurred outside of the program.
In a lawsuit filed in December by Abdul, the former “American Idol” judge accused Lythgoe, who was a producer on the show at the time, of groping and forcibly kissing her in an elevator at their hotel after a day of filming about 20 years. back.
Lythgoe denied the allegations and said he would “fight this appalling smear with everything I have.”
“To say that I am shocked and saddened by the accusations made against me by Paula Abdul is an understatement,” he added. “Not only are they false, but they are deeply offensive to me and everything I stand for.”
Siwa joins dancer and choreographer Allison Holker, who met her late husband, Stephen “Twitch” Boss, through the show, and “Dancing With the Stars” alum Maks Chmerkovskiy on the judging panel . Cat Deeley will return as host.
“SYTYCD” season 18 premieres March 4 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. The new season will continue to feature contestants competing in dance challenges, with weekly eliminations resulting in a $100,000 grand prize winner. But, for the first time, it will also include new documentary-style segments chronicling contestants' time on the show.
In addition to serving as a judge on “SYTYCD,” Siwa also competed on ABC’s “DWTS” and made history as part of the show’s first same-sex couple in season 30.
“I think it breaks a wall that's never been broken down before,” Siwa said of the partnership during a Television Critics Association conference. panel in 2021. “It's normal for a girl to dance with a boy, and I think that's really cool, but I think it's really special that not only now can I share with the world that you can love who you are. “You want to love, but you can also dance with whoever you want to dance with.”
