Tom Jones Says 'The Voice UK' Fired Him Because of Financial Difficulty After 14 Years as a Coach | Just Jared

Tom Jones has been one of the four coaches on The Voice UK since the show began in 2012 and now he says he has been “fired.”

The 86-year-old singer, best known for his song “It’s Not Unusual,” has served as a coach on 13 out of the 14 seasons produced so far. In a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday (September 8), he says he will not be back for season 15 and his departure is not by choice.

A new coaches lineup has not yet been announced, but Tom claims the network wants a “refresh.”

Tom Jones’ statement

“To be clear, I did not want to leave The Voice as I love the show and really appreciate the audience. ITV made the decision — obviously a while ago, and I was told just recently,” Tom wrote in his statement.

Tom continued, “The reason given is because of a financial difficulty with insurance. They now say in the press they want to ‘refresh’ the show, and with a new coaching line-up there wouldn’t be a chair for me. 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,” he concluded.

The Voice UK rep speaks out

A rep for the show told People, “We have loved working with Sir Tom Jones over the past nine years on The Voice UK. Whilst he will no longer be a full-time coach on series 15, we continue to talk to Sir Tom and his team about his involvement in the next series.”

ITV began airing The Voice UK in season 6 after BBC decided to drop the show.

Cheryl Cole is rumored to be replacing Tom on the show, according to The Sun.

Posted To:Television The Voice Tom Jones