Sir Tom Jones has shared that he didn’t want to leave his role as a judge on The Voice UK, alleging that the British broadcast television network ITV fired him 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 on Tuesday (8 September).
“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.”
Jones also alleged that producers of the hit series invited him to return, but in a reported “much-reduced role,” something the Delilah singer is “not thrilled” about.
He continued, “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.
“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 has featured in numerous seasons of The Voice UK since its inception in 2012. He was a coach on the series for the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons – while it aired on the BBC. In 2017, he re-joined the show as a judge, after The Voice UK moved to ITV. He’s been a key member of the cast ever since.
This year’s season of The Voice UK is currently airing, with Jones on board, having started on 22 August. Along with Jones, this year’s coaches also include will.i.am, McFly’s Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones, and R&B star Kelly Rowland.
Variety reports that Jones made his statement after speculation surrounding his involvement in next year’s season emerged over the weekend.
A spokesperson for The Voice UK told Variety the team has “loved” working with Jones over the past nine years and conversations “continue” about his involvement in next year’s season.
“We have loved working with Sir Tom Jones over the past nine years on The Voice UK,” the spokesperson said. “While 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.”
Despite his busy day-to-day life as a coach on The Voice UK, Jones has continued to tour regularly.
His most recent album, Surrounded by Time, was released in 2021. He last visited Australia in March and April 2024, performing a run of headline shows as well as an appearance at Bluesfest Byron Bay.
