Why is Bruno Tonioli not on Britain's Got Talent and is KSI a permanent BGT judge?

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By Nancy Brown

28 Feb 2026, 18:02

By Nancy Brown

28 Feb 2026, 18:02

Britain’s Got Talent is back this Saturday night (February 28) – but fans may be wondering why Bruno Tonioli is not on the panel.

Bruno joined the series after leaving Strictly Come Dancing, after reportedly battling it out with Alan Carr for the job.

However, after two years on the panel, Bruno quit. He’s now been replaced by YouTuber KSI…

Why is Bruno Tonioli not on BGT?

Bruno joined BGT back in 2023, after leaving Strictly. However, after two years and three series on the show, he decided to hang up his judging boots.

Why? Because he couldn’t make the show work with his long-standing commitment to Dancing With The Stars in the States.

In a statement at the time, Bruno shared: “After three incredible series, I’ve sadly had to walk away from a job which has opened my eyes to so much incredible talent and step down as a judge on BGT.

“And whilst I look forward to filming a new series of Dancing with the Stars in the US, I will miss the chaos and joy that BGT brings, as well as all the wonderful people I’ve had the privilege of working with.”

He added: “There is no animosity, it was a mutual decision. I just couldn’t do the flying anymore. I don’t know how I survived that schedule. To be honest, it’s a miracle.”

Is KSI a permanent judge on BGT?

KSI filled in for Bruno during the dancer’s final series of BGT when he was flying back and forth to America for Dancing With The Stars.

After impressing head honcho Simon Cowell, KSI was asked to join the panel on a permanent basis.

He said he was “grateful and happy” to have been given the job by Simon, adding: “I had such a good time last year, and I can’t wait to see some more top talent. I’m full of energy, ready to go, and can’t wait to make this the most entertaining BGT season ever.”

Who are the current BGT judges?

As a result of the shake-up, the current judges on BGT are Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and KSI.

The series is hosted, as ever, by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.

Why is David Walliams not on BGT?

David Walliams left Britain’s Got Talent in 2022 after apologising for making, and having leaked, derogatory, private comments about contestants during filming. Following the controversy and the leak, his 2023 contract offer was withdrawn and he was axed.

He’d been a judge on the series since 2012. David also indicated that his axe led to severe mental health struggles, including suicidal thoughts.

Other judges who’ve been axed from Britain’s Got Talent

David isn’t the only Britain’s Got Talent judge to have been given the boot, though.

Kelly Brook sat on the BGT judging panel for six days back in 2009 before she was given the push.

Writing in their memoir, Ooh! What a Lovely Pair: Our Story, Dec said: “Kelly looked nervous, so I told her it was going to be great fun and to just relax. She nodded, then looked at me and said: ‘And what do you do on the show?’ I looked at Simon, who was sat next to me, he turned to Kelly and said: ‘Kelly, you have seen the show, haven’t you?’ To which she replied: ‘Yeah… well, bits.'”

He added: “I don’t want to sound like an egomaniac, but the last person who said: ‘And what do you do?’ was the Queen when I met her at the party for ITV’s 50th anniversary.”

Kelly later said: “I really felt it was working out. Ant and Dec had never been anything but pleasant to my face but, clearly, they didn’t want me on the show. Their egos are such that they were saying to themselves ‘How dare she think she can come on to our show?’ And since then they’ve been very vocal about their displeasure at me being there.”

‘Rejected and upset’

Michael McIntyre was also axed by Simon, but he lasted a little longer than Kelly. He was on BGT for one series in 2011, before getting the chop.

He wrote in his autobiography A Funny Life: Simon Cowell invited me to be a judge on Britain’s Got Talent and I immediately assumed I would become the nation’s sweetheart like Cheryl Cole had on The X Factor.”

Michael added that he “felt rejected and upset” about being “let go” from the long-running ITV show.

Michael explained: “Adding my name to the list of people Simon Cowell had fired was a blow to my ego. My publicist had already released a statement saying I’d quit the show to concentrate on my tour, and that became the narrative. I jumped before I was pushed.”

Read more: Britain’s Got Talent ‘axe’ warning as show enters ‘Dancing On Ice territory’

Britain’s Got Talent is on ITV1 Saturdays at 7pm