Reba McEntire went into Monday night’s The Voice Playoffs with five team members instead of six after Tom Nitti withdrew from the competition.
At the beginning of the episode, Reba McEntire told the audience that Nitti had left the competition and wouldn’t be returning.
“I have wonderfully talented people, but Tom had to leave for personal reasons, so I only have five artists tonight,” the “Fancy” singer said.
At the time, Reba didn’t share why Nitti withdrew from the show, but host Carson Daly said it was for “personal reasons.”
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In a post made to social media Tuesday morning, Tom Nitti addressed his exit and called it “one of the hardest yet easiest decisions ever.”
“Well, I’ve been dreading this day ever since the blind audition so here goes nothin’ … As much as it absolutely stings to say, I had to make probably one of the hardest yet easiest decisions ever and ultimately at the end of the day, my kids will always come first and if I had to make the same decision again I’d do it over and over….”
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Nitti further clarified his reasons for leaving in a comment made to a Facebook post that read, “I left strictly [and] solely for my kids NO my parents did not make me quit and THEY have supported me through it all..secondly I DID NOT leave to save my marriage it was over a long time ago.”
Tom Nitti first captured coach Reba’s attention with his dynamic performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” during the Season 24 Blind Auditions.
Reba was the only coach to turn her chair for the talented singer, but the other coaches had plenty of praise for Nitti and expressed their excitement that he would be advancing to the live shows.
In the weeks that followed, Tom continued to show the coaches and the audience that he deserved to be on The Voice. During the Battle Rounds, Nitti beat fellow Team Reba member Dylan Carter with a cover of Cody Johnson’s “‘Til You Can’t.”
Nitti’s Voice run nearly came to an end during the competition’s Knockout Round when Reba eliminated him and Gwen Stefani attempted to use her Steal on the singer. But, Reba opted to use her Save, leaving Nitti having to choose between the two coaches. He ultimately chose to remain on Team Reba.
The longer Tom Nitti remained in the competition, the larger his fan base grew and the more realistic it was that he would likely advance to the Finals. This made Nitti’s exit from the show a shock to fans, but he received overwhelming support when it was revealed that he gave up his dream for his children.
Watch Tom Nitti’s Blind Audition in the video below.