He’s out. Matt LeBlanc’s Top Gear cohost Chris Evans has announced his departure from the popular BBC auto show after five episodes amid rumors of on-set tension.
“Stepping down from Top Gear,” the British TV personality, 50, tweeted on Monday, July 4. “Gave it my best shot but sometimes that’s not enough. The team are beyond brilliant, I wish them all the best.”
Stepping down from Top Gear. Gave it my best shot but sometimes that’s not enough. The team are beyond brilliant, I wish them all the best.
— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) July 4, 2016
“Chris is stepping down from his duties on Top Gear,” the BBC confirmed in a statement on Monday. “He says he gave it his best shot doing everything he could to make the show a success. He firmly believes that the right people remain, on both the production team and presenting team, to take the show forward and make it the hit we want it to be.”
Evans decision to quit the show comes on the heels of reports that he and LeBlanc, 48, butted heads while filming. Earlier this month, several British tabloids claimed that the Friends alum was planning to leave the show if Evans did not do so first. LeBlanc’s rep denied those allegations and told The Telegraph on Tuesday, June 26, that there had been “no discussions.”
Us Weekly has reached out to LeBlanc’s rep for comment.
Evans elaborated on his exit from the series in the statement released by the BBC on Monday.
“I have never worked with a more committed and driven team than the team I have worked with over the last twelve months,” he said. “I feel like my standing aside is the single best thing I can now do to help the cause. I remain a huge fan of the show, always have been, always will be. I will continue to focus on my radio show and the allied events that it encompasses.”
LeBlanc, who recorded the fastest-ever celebrity lap time on the original Top Gear series, joined the reboot in February.
