Comedian Russell Howard quits TV after 19 years and gives surprise reason why

Russell Howard has been making audiences laugh for almost two decades, but in a shock statement the comedian said it was time to hang up the microphone and focus on other projects

Legendary comedian Russell Howard has announced he is quitting television after nearly two decades.

Russell Howard, 44, has had a number of awkward moments during his career, including storming out of a gig in Bristol after a woman would not stop recording him. He also left the mum of a disabled girl livid after he took aim at her during one of his sets.

However, Russell has mostly been well-liked by the general public, with him landing his own satirical weekly news comedy show on both the BBC and Sky. However, in a new statement, the funnyman said he would be giving up TV after 19 years on-screen, but gave a peculiar reason as to why.

The star, known for his appearances on Mock the Week and Taskmaster, admitted: "I don't do TV anymore, I just do stand-up and my podcast." It comes as he revealed what his plans would be after leaving the TV sets behind.

Comedian Russell has said he will be giving up his television appearances

Explaining his decision further, Russell added: "I was all over the world and it was just fun; TV is fun but it's not as fun [as stand-up]. Writing a book I couldn't do because I don't want to sit and entertain myself but doing stand-up is what I love doing.

"It's not entertainment for committee, it's your dictatorship," he added. "The audience are like this brilliant jury that let you know through laughter whether it works or not."

Russell's BBC show Good News ran from 2009 to 2015 for ten series, propelling him to national fame for his dry and witty takes on the week's biggest stories. He moved his show to Sky One in 2017, rebranding it as The Russell Howard Hour, which ran for six seasons and a spin-off which had been filmed over the Covid lockdowns.

The comic had his own satirical news show for the best part of ten years(Image: Still)

But now, Russell has said he will be focusing his attention on his other projects, including his two podcasts - Five Brilliant Things and GoalLess, a football-related podcast. As a result, his last television appearance came in August during the Big Fat Quiz of Telly, which aired on Channel 4.

As well as his comedy work, Russell appeared on several other TV shows, including his own Netflix documentary, which looked at the effects that epilepsy had on his family. He revealed during the show that he would share his bed with his younger brother Daniel for a year for fear of his sibling having an epileptic fit and dying in his sleep.

He said he will now be focusing his attention on his stand-up and his podcasts(Image: Getty Images)

Daniel's condition had been triggered by a freak accident, when he fell off his bike aged just 10, which caused terrifying fits. He explained one horrendous incident when he was aged 14: "He’s upstairs with [sister] Kerry and she was calling me, and my brother was like, you know, he started fitting - Dad was crying, it was the only time I have seen him cry, it was absolutely horrific."

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