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Singer Tom Jones has claimed he was fired as a judge from singing competition show “The Voice U.K.” due to “financial difficulty with insurance.”
“To be clear, I did not want to leave ‘The Voice’ as I love the show and
really appreciate the audience,” Jones posted on social media. “ITV made this decision — obviously a while ago, and I was told just recently. The reason given is because of a financial difficulty with insurance.”
“They now say in the press they wanted to ‘refresh’ the show, and with a new coaching line-up there wouldn’t be a chair for me,” he continued. “They are offering a much-reduced role where I would make an appearance but without being actually involved from the start, and I’m not thrilled about that. So the only thing I know right now, is that there’s never a good time to fire an 86-year-old who’s still pretty good at his job.”
Jones, best known for hits such as “It’s Not Unusual,” has appeared on the show almost continuously since its inception in 2012, when it first aired on the BBC as a competitor to ITV’s “The X-Factor.” He spent three years on the coaching panel before taking a break and then rejoined when the show moved from the BBC to ITV in 2017. “The Voice U.K.” is currently produced by Lifted Entertainment, a subsidiary of ITV Studios.
After almost a decade on ITV’s version of “The Voice U.K.,” rumors emerged over the weekend that Jones would not be rejoining the next season, prompting him to make his statement. Variety has contacted ITV for comment.
Jones is currently appearing on Season 9 of “The Voice U.K.,” which launched on Aug. 22 and is airing every Saturday on ITV. The other coaches include will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones, Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones and Kelly Rowland.
