Tom Jones Says ITV Fired Him From The Voice UK Ahead of Series 15
Tom Jones has been removed as a full-time coach on The Voice UK ahead of its 15th series, and the 86-year-old Welsh singer says the decision was not his.
In a statement published on September 8 on his official Instagram and Facebook accounts, Jones wrote: "To be clear, I did not want to leave The Voice as I love the show and really appreciate the audience" (Billboard).
Jones said ITV cited "financial difficulty with insurance" as the initial reason for his removal, and later described the move as an effort to refresh the coaching lineup. The network also offered him a smaller role that would involve appearing on the show without being part of the competition from the outset — an arrangement Jones said he was not enthusiastic about.
He closed his statement with a line that travelled fast across social media: "There's never a good time to fire an 86-year-old who's still pretty good at his job."
An ITV spokesperson told Billboard: "ITV loved working with Sir Tom Jones over the past nine years on The Voice UK and continues to talk to him about his involvement in the next series," while confirming he will no longer be a full-time coach on series 15.
People magazine reported that Jones was let go after 13 seasons due to the insurance issue. BBC News noted that Jones said ITV made the decision to "fire" him.
Jones has been a fixture of the programme since its 2012 debut on BBC One, before it moved to ITV in 2017. He sat out one season — replaced by Boy George in 2016 — and returned the following year. Across his tenure he coached three winners. Most recently he appeared on the 14th series alongside will.i.am, Kelly Rowland, and McFly's Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones.
For viewers, the departure removes the last original coach from the UK edition's first panel. Jones, will.i.am and others have rotated across the years, but Jones was the one constant the show could point to from its launch. Whether he returns in the reduced capacity ITV has floated — or walks away entirely — remains an open question, and one Jones himself has framed as unfinished business.
