A story that insinuated Matthew Morrison was fired as a judge from reality competition So You Think You Can Dance because of harassing a female contestant distorts the truth, the star said today in an Instagram post.
People magazine, citing “a source” close to the reality show, reported earlier this week that Morrison was released because of harassing messages to a female contestant. She allegedly approached producers, who involved Fox, who then fired Morrison after an investigation.
Today, Morrison responded to the allegations.
“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,” he began in a video posted to Instagram on Thursday. “So, in the interest of transparency, I will read to you the one message I wrote to a dancer on the show.”
“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 a statement provided to Deadline. “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. 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.”
Sources tell Deadline a new judge, who will join Siwa and Stephen “tWitch’” Boss on the panel, will be announced soon for the next round of competition episodes that will begin on June 15. Morrison appears in a total of four episodes that have been pre-taped.
Cat Deeley serves as host of the long-running series that features skilled dancers ages 18-30, showcasing their talents in various dance styles, including contemporary, tap, hip-hop, ballroom, animation and breaking.
The series is produced by Industrial Media’s 19 Entertainment and MRC. Rosie Seitchik serves as showrunner and will exec produce alongside co-creator Lythgoe, Jeff Thacker, Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman.
Matthew Morrison will no longer be a “So You Think You Can Dance” judge after he failed to follow “competition production protocols,” Variety has confirmed.
The former “Glee” star announced his departure from the Fox dance competition show, which premiered on May 18, in a statement on Friday.
“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. 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,” Morrison said in the statement. “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.”
It is not clear exactly what the “competition production protocols” were that led to Morrison’s exit. Since the show has already started airing its 17th season, Morrison will still appear in four episodes.
Morrison was announced as a judge on the show in April, along with JoJo Siwa, Twitch and returning host Cat Deeley. Morrison, Siwa and Twitch replaced panelists Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Laurieann Gibson on the new season.
“So You Think You Can Dance” comes from Industrial Media’s 19 Entertainment and MRC, and is executive-produced by co-creator Nigel Lythgoe, Jeff Thacker, Rosie Seitchik, and Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman on behalf of 19 Entertainment.
It was a short run on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance for Matthew Morrison. The Glee alum, who was just announced in April as a new judge on the hit dance competition series along with JoJo Siwa, is exiting the show after failing to follow production protocols. The news comes a week after the series’ Season 17 premiere.
“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 a statement provided to Deadline. “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. 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.”
Sources tell Deadline a new judge, who will join Siwa and Stephen “tWitch’” Boss on the panel, will be announced soon for the next round of competition episodes that will begin on June 15. Morrison appears in a total of four episodes that have been pre-taped.
Cat Deeley serves as host of the long-running series that features skilled dancers ages 18-30, showcasing their talents in various dance styles, including contemporary, tap, hip-hop, ballroom, animation and breaking.
The series is produced by Industrial Media’s 19 Entertainment and MRC. Rosie Seitchik serves as showrunner and will exec produce alongside co-creator Lythgoe, Jeff Thacker, Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman.
Matthew Morrison‘s tenure as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance will be short-lived: The Glee vet is exiting Fox’s long-running competition series after failing to follow judging protocol. The news comes just one week after the premiere of Season 17.
“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 a statement obtained by TVLine. “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.
“I cannot apologize enough to all involved,” he added, “and I will be watching alongside you all on what I know will be one of the best seasons yet.”
US Weekly was first to break the news of Morrison’s departure.
SYTYCD‘s COVID-delayed 17th season premiered May 18 with an entirely new judging panel that consisted of Morrison, JoJo Siwa and Stephen “tWitch” Boss. Since the show’s early episodes are all pre-taped, Morrison will continue to appear through mid-June
A Fox insider tells TVLine that a new judge will be brought in to replace Morrison in time for the next wave of the competition starting on June 15. An announcement on his successor will be made soon.
Australians go to the polls on Saturday to choose a government as the country, emerging from two years of Covid-fueled isolation, faces rising inflation, persistent anxiety about climate change and growing foreign policy challenges.
After nine years in power, the conservative coalition — now led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison — is locked in a tight race with the Labor Party and its leader, Anthony Albanese.
With few major policy differences or dramatic proposals, the election has come to be seen as a referendum on Mr. Morrison’s conduct and performance in office. He has sought to emphasize his steady management of the economy and Australia’s rapid response to Covid, while his opponent has pointed to his failure to keep housing affordable, his absence during the 2020 bush fires and avoidance on climate change policy, and his aggressive, partisan approach to politics, which has alienated many women.
Rising support for minor parties and a new wave of independent candidates, most of them women who are campaigning for stronger action on climate change and a federal anti-corruption commission, could lead to a minority government that might take several days of negotiating to form. But Labor has been building momentum, and is increasingly confident about a clear victory.
What’s at Stake
Australia has managed the pandemic relatively well, keeping its per capita death toll low by shutting its international and state borders while funneling public money to workers, businesses and the health care system. Now that the country is highly vaccinated and open again, the government’s job for the next few years will involve shaping the recovery.
Mr. Morrison, 54, has argued that now is not the time to shift to a Labor government. “It’s not just about who will make things better, and I believe we will,” he said last week. “But it’s also who can make them worse.”
To bolster its chances, the conservative coalition has made about $2 billion worth of pledges for infrastructure and energy projects, along with smaller local projects like sports facilities.
Mr. Albanese, 59, has promised investment in roads and transportation while emphasizing that Labor will do more for “the caring economy,” which includes child care workers, educators and nursing home workers. Facilities for the aged have been struggling with reports of treatment lapses and miserable conditions.
Labor has also promised to increase funding for universities, which were left out of the coalition’s Covid-assistance plans. And though it has not ruled out investment in coal, Labor has said it will move more quickly to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change.
Australia’s emissions reduction target for 2030 — 26 percent from 2005 levels — has been described by other world leaders as a disappointment. It’s half what the United States and Britain have promised.
But whoever wins the election will not just have to manage domestic concerns and international pressure on climate change. Australia also faces an increasingly tricky security environment.
The country’s relations with China have been on ice since at least 2017, when Australia passed foreign interference legislation and China responded with import bans on wine, beef and other Australian products. Beijing has also made inroads in the Pacific islands, Australia’s traditional sphere of influence, with the Solomon Islands signing a secretive security agreement with China last month.
These will be among the issues discussed at the next meeting of the Quad — Japan, the United States, India and Australia — which is scheduled to take place in Tokyo on May 24, three days after Australia’s election.
There is not much distance between the two parties on the challenge China represents or on Australia’s push toward a stronger alliance with the United States.
Who’s Running?
Mr. Albanese took over as Labor leader after the party’s 2019 election loss, and he is known for being a quieter, more collaborative brand of boss than his predecessor, Bill Shorten.
He was raised by a single mother in public housing and often says she instilled in him a passion for three great faiths: the Catholic Church, the Australian Labor Party and the South Sydney Rabbitohs, his local rugby team.
He was elected to Parliament in 1996, rising to become deputy prime minister in 2013 with the Labor government led by Kevin Rudd.
Despite all his time in government, Mr. Albanese was relatively unknown to most Australians until recently. As opposition leader and as a candidate, he has constructed a “small target” approach, making few bold policy pronouncements and seeking to minimize Labor’s differences with the coalition on traditional hot-button issues like taxes.
Mr. Albanese’s effort to make voters focus on Mr. Morrison hit obstacles at first, as the Labor leader made a few gaffes near the official start of the campaign. But he found his footing during a pair of debates during which he focused on wage increases and other traditional Labor issues while standing up to the more combative prime minister.
Mr. Morrison has led Australia’s government — a coalition of the Liberal and National parties — since 2018. An energetic campaigner who has presented himself as the leader for “quiet Australians” who want a steady hand on the economic tiller, he had a reputation for being a moderate earlier in his career. But as prime minister, he has often lined up with the more conservative wing of Australian politics, especially on climate change.
Like Mr. Albanese, he is a devoted rugby fan who grew up in Sydney — in his case in the wealthier eastern suburbs, where his father was a police officer and municipal council member.
After working as a marketing executive for Tourism Australia, he reached Parliament in 2007, representing a handful of suburbs in the southeastern corner of Sydney.
He rose quickly, becoming the minister for immigration and border protection in the government of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, where he oversaw a hard-line approach to asylum seekers — with boats turned back by the Australian military and refugees placed in offshore detention.
He served as treasurer under Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, until he took power in 2018 after an intraparty coup initiated by members who resisted Mr. Turnbull’s moderate stance on climate change and other issues.
What Are the Major Issues?
On a national level, voter surveys show that Australians are most concerned about inflation and the cost of living, especially the exorbitant price of housing in Sydney, Melbourne and other major cities.
In most of the country’s middle-class districts, economic issues are dominant, but in a number of the electorates that could define which party wins, there are two other election dynamics playing out.
In wealthier districts around Sydney and Melbourne, several independent candidates — mostly professional women — are challenging Liberal incumbents with campaigns focused on climate change solutions, gender equity and a return to civility to politics.
And in less urban areas, the election is being fought more on culture war and identity issues. Mr. Morrison handpicked a candidate who has lobbied against allowing transgender women to play women’s sports, and he has at times made the issue a focus of his campaign.
“There are three campaigns being fought,” said Peter Lewis, a seasoned pollster and executive director of Essential, a progressive communications and research company. “You’ve got a cultural election, an economic election and a post-materialist election” — focusing on quality of life — “and they’re all playing out in different parts of Australia.”
Who’s Leading?
The latest voter surveys show Labor leading by a few points. Mr. Morrison’s approval ratings have been falling for months, and neither he nor Mr. Albanese is drawing enthusiastic support. Voters have signaled they are more dissatisfied than satisfied with both of them.
Election projections in Australia are notoriously hard to trust. The country has compulsory voting and preferential voting, letting people rank their choices, and a large swath of the electorate decides at the last second. By some counts, a quarter of all voters remain uncertain or not confident about their ultimate choice.
In 2019, polls showed Labor with a slight edge — but Mr. Morrison and the coalition won an upset victory.
This time around, analysts are suggesting a high probability of a hung Parliament, with neither the coalition nor Labor winning the 76 seats needed to form a government.
If that happens, minor parties like the Greens on the left or One Nation on the right — or some of the independents, if they win — could be the kingmakers who decide which way Australia’s next government goes.
Father John Misty is releasing his forthcoming album, Chloë And The Next 20th Century, on April 8. It’s been a while since he’d been on the road. His last headlining tour was back in 2018, in support of God’s Favorite Customer. But he’s about to change that soon.
Misty has now announced a world tour in support of his new record, with Sub Pop label mate Suki Waterhouse (yes, that Suki Waterhouse) joining for the North American leg of the tour. Waterhouse is also set to release her debut album, I Can’t Let Go, this month on April 2022.
Prior to this tour announcement, Misty had shared some limited, intimate spring tour dates, that included stops in the UK and three sold-out New York City shows. The new dates go all around the country, and also include an additional New York City date.
The presale starts on Wednesday, April 6 at 10 a.m. local time, accessible with the password CanFlub. General tickets will be available on Friday, April 8 at 10 a.m. local time. All tour dates are listed below.
Father John Misty 2022-2023 tour dates
Thu. Apr. 07 – London, UK – The Barbican w/ The Britten Sinfonia conducted by Jules Buckley [SOLD OUT]
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Fri. Apr. 08 – Kington Upon Thames, UK – Banquet Records at PRYZM (5 pm)
Fri. Apr. 08 – Kington Upon Thames, UK – Banquet Records at PRYZM (8 pm) [SOLD OUT]
Sat. Apr. 09 – London, UK – Rough Trade East (4 pm) [SOLD OUT]
Sat, Apr. 09 – London, UK – Rough Trade East (8 pm) [SOLD OUT]
Sun. Apr. 10 – Brighton, UK – Resident at CHALK [SOLD OUT]
Mon. Apr. 11 – Bristol, UK – Rough Trade Bristol at St. George’s Church (6:30 pm) [SOLD OUT]
Mon. Apr. 11 – Bristol, UK – Rough Trade Bristol at St. George’s Church (9:30 pm) [SOLD OUT]
Thu. Apr. 14 – New York, NY – The Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center (7 pm) [SOLD OUT]
Thu. Apr. 14 – New York, NY – The Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center (9:30 pm) [SOLD OUT]
Sat. June 26 – Greenfield, MA – Green River Festival
Fri. July 08 – Des Moines, IA – 80/35 Music Festival
Sun. July 31 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ The Colorado Symphony *
Wed. Aug. 03 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay *
Fri. Aug. 05 – Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas *
Sat. Aug. 06 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren *
Mon. Aug. 08 – Oklahoma City, OK- The Criterion *
Tue. Aug. 09 – Kansas City, MO – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland *
Thu. Aug. 11 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall *
Fri. Aug. 12 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater *
Sat. Aug. 13 – New Orleans, LA – Orpheum Theater *
Sun. Aug. 14 – Dallas, TX – The Factory in Deep Ellum *
Thu. Aug. 18 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Forever Cemetery *
Sat. Aug. 20 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater *
Tue. Aug. 23 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre *
Thu. Aug. 25 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum *
Fri. Aug. 26 – Port Townsend, WA – THING Festival
Sat. Aug. 27 – Portland, OR – Pioneer Square *
Mon. Sept. 12 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! *
Tue. Sept. 13 – Philadelphia, PA- The Met Philadelphia *
SYDNEY, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a Chinese naval vessel that pointed a laser at an Australian defence plane was potentially visible from Australia’s mainland, as Canberra demands a “full investigation” by Beijing.
Morrison said on radio on Monday his government had not received an explanation from China over the incident last Thursday, considered by Canberra as a “dangerous and reckless act”.
A Chinese navy vessel within Australia’s exclusive economic zone directed a laser at an Australian military aircraft in flight over Australia’s northern approaches, illuminating the plane and potentially endangering lives, Australia’s defence said on Saturday. read more
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The P-8A Poseidon – a maritime patrol aircraft – detected a laser emanating from a People’s Liberation Army – Navy (PLA-N) vessel, the Defence Department said, releasing photographs of two Chinese vessels sailing close to Australia’s northern coast.
A PLA-N Luyang-class guided missile destroyer and a PLA-N Yuzhao-class amphibious transport dock vessel leave the Torres Strait and enter the Coral Sea February 18, 2022. Picture taken February 18, 2022. Australian Defence Department/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
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A Chinese guided missile destroyer and an amphibious transport dock were sailing east through the Arafura Sea between New Guinea and Australia at the time of the incident, and later passed through the narrow Torres Strait.
“It’s possible people could even see the vessel from our mainland, potentially,” Morrison told reporters in Tasmania on Monday.
Australia had called through diplomatic and defence channels for “a full investigation into this event”, he said on local radio.
He compared the incident to a hypothetical situation of an Australian frigate pointing a laser at Chinese surveillance aircraft in the Taiwan Strait, adding: “Could you imagine their reaction to that in Beijing?”
The Chinese embassy in Canberra did not respond to a request for comment. Beijing has not commented publicly about the incident.
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Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by Lincoln Feast.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Little-known China tech firm took over Morrison account
Firm says wanted to buy account with large Australia fanbase
Matter is ‘dispute over account ownership’ -WeChat’s Chinese owner Tencent
Australia Liberals claim censorship amid tensions with China
SYDNEY, Jan 24 (Reuters) – A little-known Chinese technology company that took over a WeChat social media account set up for Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday it wanted to buy an account with a large fanbase in Australia, and was unaware it was his.
Australian politicians said Morrison’s office lost access to the account on the platform, owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK), several months ago. The politicians claimed the move represented censorship amid growing diplomatic tensions between Canberra and Beijing with a national election to be held in Australia by May.
The account, which bore Morrison’s photograph and posted information on his policies in Mandarin targeted at Australian voters of Chinese ethnic origin, had 76,000 followers.
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The account was renamed ‘Australia China New Life’ in January by its new Chinese owner, Fuzhou 985 Technology, based in Fujian province, which notified followers the account would instead promote Chinese life in Australia.
An employee from Fuzhou 985 Technology, who only gave his surname as Huang, told Reuters by telephone was not aware the account was previously connected to Morrison. He said the transfer of ownership was conducted with a Chinese male national living in Fuzhou, whose identity he declined to disclose.
“We thought this account had a large fanbase, so we decided to buy it,” said Huang, adding that the company was looking for an account whose target audience was the Chinese community in Australia. He declined to say how much his company had paid to take over the account.
Australia’s two major political parties have used the Chinese social media platform to communicate with Australian voters of Chinese ethnicity in tightly fought electorates since 2019. The ruling Liberal Party would have aimed to use the Morrison account to promote its policies during the Chinese New Year celebrations starting Feb. 1.
Both the Liberals and the main opposition Labor Party set up WeChat accounts for their leaders through outsourced agencies. The Scott Morrison account was registered in 2019 using the name of a Chinese citizen in mainland China as its account operator, WeChat records show and a government source confirmed.
The agency handling Morrison’s social media account lost access to it last July, and emailed WeChat on Jan. 10 saying it acted on behalf of the Prime Minister, and requesting the account be returned, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. They declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
No response was given by Tencent, the sources confirmed.
In a statement on Monday, Tencent said, “This appears to be a dispute over account ownership – the account in question was originally registered by a PRC (Chinese) individual and was subsequently transferred to its current operator, a technology services company.”
Tencent added the dispute would be handled “in accordance with our platform rules”, and it would look into the matter further.
In Beijing, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular press conference on Monday that, “The issue of Australian politicians’ WeChat accounts is between them and WeChat.”
Meanwhile Liberal Senator James Paterson, Chair of Parliament’s Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, told media the incident was an example of “censorship” and “foreign interference”.
“There’s 1.2 million Australians of Chinese descent who overwhelmingly use this service and now can no longer access news and information from their Prime Minister,” he said on Australian radio on Monday.
Fergus Ryan, senior analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said having the Prime Minister’s WeChat account registered under the name of a Chinese citizen was “always risky and ill-advised”, and appeared to be a breach of WeChat rules.
At Fuzhou 985 Technology, Huang said the company planned to delete the contents of the account, but would wait.
“Originally we wanted to delete [Morrison’s previous posts], now we are faced with this situation, we can only wait for Tencent’s final reply,” he said.
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Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney and Eduardo Baptista and Gabriel Crossley in Beijing; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Temuera Morrison is speaking out on The Book of Boba Fett, joking his helmeted bounty hunter talks “far too much” in the Star Wars spinoff. The series from creator Jon Favreau and showrunner Robert Rodriguez goes under the helmet of the typically taciturn Boba, who had little screentime and even fewer lines in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back and 1983’s Return of the Jedi. No longer a hired gun after his return in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, the Disney+ spinoff finds Fett doing a lot of speaking as Daimyo, a crime boss lording over Jabba the Hutt’s empire on Tatooine.
“I was not very successful, I was hoping not to say as much as I have already in the first two episodes,” Morrison said in an interview with NME. “I speak far too much. In fact, in the beginning, I was trying to pass my lines on to Ming-Na [Wen]. I said: ‘Excuse me director, I really feel that Ming-Na should say these lines, ’cause I wanna stay mysterious. I wanna stay quiet.'”
But Wen, who plays Fett’s consigliere, Master Assassin Fennec Shand, “caught on” to what Morrison was up to. “He wasn’t just trying to be a very generous actor — which he is — he was just trying to parlay some of the work to me (laughs).”
RELATED STORY: Temuera Morrison on Boba Fett’s Rebirth and Revealing “What’s Under the Robes”
While Favreau was away in Atlanta, Morrison recalled phoning staff writer Noah Kloor about cutting down some of Fett’s lines to maintain that mystique.
“Sometimes, I’d say [to Favreau], ‘I think this is too much, I think this is too much,'” he said. “I said: ‘Noah, this scene tomorrow. I’m talking too much! This Boba Fett doesn’t talk this much. Look, I’ve got all these paragraphs. I think we should get rid of it and Jon’s going to Atlanta so don’t tell him!'”
He continued, “Then, that morning on set, I get a call from Atlanta: ‘Jon wants you to say all that dialogue. We’ll cut it out later.’ (laughs) So he was even keeping an eye on us from all areas.”
Because the series is looking at the man beneath the armor, using flashbacks to reveal what happened to Boba after escaping the Sarlacc pit in Return of the Jedi, “I had to start talking I guess,” Morrison said. “We had to fill in the gaps and give out a little bit of information… But yes, I think I did speak a bit too much.”
New episodes of The Book of Boba Fett premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.
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WWE’s year-long restructuring has continued with another round of talent cuts.
John Morrison, Top Dolla, Ashante Adonis, Isaiah Swerve Scott, Tegan Nox, Drake Maverick, Shane Thorne and Jaxson Ryker are the latest names to be let go from the company.
The news was first reported by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.
Morrison, whose real name is John Michael Hennigan, is the biggest name from this round. He had previously been with WWE from 2002-2011, and returned to the company in 2019. Last year, Morrison and The Miz had a run as Smackdown tag-team champions.
Drake Maverick reacted to his release by posting a cinematic video that referenced the tearful video from the previous time he was released by WWE, in 2020, and gave himself a pep talk.
Isaiah Swerve Scott, who went by the name Shane Strickland before reaching WWE, posted a hip-hop video that exhibited confidence he will be “up to something”.
This is the second round of talent releases just this month by WWE. Previously, Ember Moon, Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Mia Yim, Gran Metalik, Nia Jax, Lince Dorado, Jeet Rama, Katrina Cortez, Trey Baxter, Zayda Ramier, Jessi Kamea, B-Fab, Oney Lorcan, Franky Monet, Eva Marie and Scarlett Bordeaux were let go.
Despite WWE having record annual profits in 2020, the company has had several rounds of cuts in 2021 to both talent and behind-the-scenes workers. Previously this year, big name former champions like Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman were also released.