Judge QUITS Britain’s Got Talent with huge star lined up to take their place
Bruno Tonioli has reportedly quit Britain’s Got Talent after only two series on the judging panel.
It is understood that rapper KSI, who is a regular guest judge on the show, is rumoured to be his permanent replacement.
The former Strictly Come Dancing judge, 69, stepped in to replace author David Walliams, who quietly stepped down in 2023 after a decade on the popular talent show.
The Sun reports that talent mogul, Simon Cowell, 65, desperately tried to persuade Tonioli to stay, but due to clashes with Dancing With The Stars over in the US, the dancer opted for waters more familiar to him.
A source told The Sun: “Bruno has officially quit Britain’s Got Talent and they are hoping that KSI will replace him.
“He absolutely loved being on the panel with Simon, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden but Bruno just can’t juggle his schedule with filming. There is no bad blood, and Bruno is leaving with a smile on his face.
“KSI, who was a replacement for Bruno on shows he missed last year, is in talks about coming on board full-time.”
British rapper, KSI, joined the show for the 19th series and filled in when the Strictly star could not attend filming.
Rumours of the stars departure begun to circulate last week after a TV insider told The Sun: “The filming schedule in 2024 meant that Bruno could get away with not being present for filming one week of auditions.
“But it would be virtually impossible for him to miss two weeks, because in the final edit, that equates to half the episodes in the new three-month run of BGT, which will air from February of 2026”
This sparked rumours that the dancer and judge, best known for his flamboyant attitude, might have to step down from the British Talent Show.
Tonioli has been a judge on the American sister show to Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing With The Stars, since its launch in 2005.
The insider also added: “There is absolutely no ill feeling about the situation, it’s simply down to changes in the schedule making it incredibly difficult to remain as a full-time judge.
“The only hope is if his long-time friend and fellow panelist Simon Cowell steps in to make it clear that he has to be a part of the show, no matter how difficult it proves to be”.
Cowell, who created the “Got Talent” format which is now broadcast around the world, has been on the UK version of the show since its first episode launch in 2007, alongside current judge Amanda Holden, and broadcaster Piers Morgan.
Tonioli’s predecessor, Walliams, 53, left under a cloud after he allegedly made “disrespectful comments” about contestants during filming breaks in 2020.
After the comments were published by The Guardian, Walliams sued Fremantle Media, the production company in charge of BGT, for misuse of private information, for breaching GDPR, and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Walliams accused the company of causing him psychiatric harm and financial loss during the process, and alleged other members of the judging panel also made disparaging comments about contestants off-air.
However, the judge and production company came to an accord in 2023, saying: “We are pleased that we have achieved an amicable resolution of this dispute with David.”
Britain’s Got Talent returns for its 19th series in 2026, with the celebrity judge line-up still unknown.
GB News has approached Britain’s Got Talent for a comment.