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Frank Skinner has broken his silence after he left his role on Absolute Radio earlier this year. The comedian, 67, announced his exit on his Saturday morning show, The Frank Skinner Show, in March this year.
The comedian had fronted his radio show since 2009 and was later inducted into the Radio Academy Hall of Fame in December 2015. However, they ended his contract this year, which prompted backlash over ageism.
Speaking to The Times, he said: "I would rather it was ageism than I was just rubbish." He previously shared his disappointment over his contract not being renewed.
Speaking about his exit, he said: "My manager (called)… you know every year, about this time, we’ve just celebrated our 15th anniversary on the show, so obviously that means the new contract is coming, and every year I do self-deprecating jokes about the fact that we probably won’t get it renewed.
"Guess what?! Yeah, we didn't! So, um, we're not just going now, I'm not going to say bye and that's the end we've got, like, several other, we've got some notice to serve, but um yeah, but no that was um... that's it!'"
He continued: "We had a good run but I realise that in recent times but I am ever more becoming Grandad from The Simpsons, but even so um, yes, I'm not going to pretend I took it... well.
"I took it well in that we've had 15 years and Absolute have actually been very, very good to us in those 15 years but I didn't take it well, I took it well in the way David Tennant took it well as the tenth Doctor when he started to regenerate and said: 'I don't want to go!'"
Absolute Radio's content director Paul Sylvester said: "Frank has been a huge part of the Absolute Radio story and after 15 years this is truly the end of an era. We are hugely grateful for the contribution he's made to both Saturday mornings and our charity comedy nights at the London Palladium."
He added: "We'll share details of our future summer schedule in due course, but there's still a few more weeks to enjoy Frank, Emily and Pierre on Saturday mornings."
Frank is also credited for creating and hosting three series of Frank Skinner’s Opinionated for BBC Two, presenting multiple series of BBC One’s Room 101 and Portrait/Landscape Artist of the Year for Sky Arts.
On top of this, Skinner makes up one half of Baddiel and Skinner, the popular duo behind TV programmes Fantasy Football and Baddiel And Skinner Unplanned. He also hosted Room 101 which was axed in 2018 after 24 years.
English (US) ·