Jonathan Ross Show to be axed as he ‘takes a break’ to head to the US in a bid to crack America
The chat show host is set to leave ITV and head to America
JONATHAN Ross' chat show has reportedly been axed as he decides to try and emulate James Corden and break America.
His contract with ITV is up at the end of 2016 and it's believed Jonathan wants to relocate to the States in order to work on new projects.
The 55-year-old left the BBC back in 2010 and and The Jonathan Ross Show kicked off on ITV in 2011 but failed to pull in the same ratings, which have dropped to 1.8million in recent months.
However, while his show won't return next January, his rep insists he'll be back on screens at the end 2017.
A source told : "Ross is taking a break, which could run and run. The show’s been axed by stealth."
A spokesman for Ross told The Sun Online: "Jonathan is extending his hiatus into the early part of next year to travel to the US. The chat show will return in the autumn of 2017.”
Kevin Lygo, Director of Televesion at ITV said: "Jonathan Ross is very important to ITV and we look forward to the new series this autumn and the Christmas special and working with him again next year when the chat show returns in Autumn 2017".
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Ross was BBC's highest earner raking in an impressive £6million a year.
However, Jonathan was suspended in 2008 following Sachsgate where he and Russell Brand prank called actor Andrew Sachs and left a series of lewd messages on his answering machine.
He left two years later and went on the sign a more modest £1.5m deal with ITV.
However, earlier this year Jonathan admitted he was worried his show might be cut when Kevin Lygo was announced as ITV's new Director of Television.
He told The Mirror: "I’m fairly lucky in that I normally get on with most people - and Kevin, who’s taking over ITV, is one of the closest friends I’ve had in television in a long while.
"But maybe I’m not safe, as being friends with him means he can actually be more honest with me than anyone else, so who knows?
"I’m still enjoying the chat show - it’s a job."
Jonathan moaned back in 2013 that Graham Norton was getting all the best guests on his popular chat show on the BBC.
The following year he acknowledged the show needed to be spiced up.
He said: "We’ll be shaking up the format of the show.
"We do it every six years to keep the show fresh. So expect a few surprises - and we’re still striving to get top guests."
However, Wossy was left red-faced back in February when tennis champ Johanna Konta blasted his "boring" interview questions during a frosty encounter on his show.
The Sun Online have contacted Jonathan's rep for comment.
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