'The Voice' contestant Tom Nitti leaves Season 24 for 'personal reasons,' will not return
Country singer and contestant on NBC's "The Voice" Tom Nitti was absent in Monday's episode, and it was revealed that he will not be returning to the competition.
Nitti, who was on Team Reba, was not present in Monday night's episode − the second round of the playoffs for Season 24.
At the start of the episode, judge and mentor Reba McEntire said Nitti had left the show and would not be continuing on this season. Instead of six, McEntire only had five singers on her team Monday night.
"I have wonderfully talented people, but Tom had to leave for personal reasons, so I only have five artists tonight," McEntire said.
She did not specify why Nitti left the show. "The Voice" host Carson Daily also said his exit was for "personal reasons," but did not elaborate.
Despite being down a team member, McEntire otherwise had a good episode, bringing back Team Reba contestant Ms. Monét with her Super Save. The 51-year-old singer delivered a fiery cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do).”
'I just love ya': Reba McEntire gets emotional on 'The Voice' with Super Save singer Ms. Monét
Who is Tom Nitti?
Nitti was a contestant on Team Reba on Season 24 of "The Voice."
According to his contestant bio, Nitti's hometown is New Hartford, New York. He taught himself to play the guitar at 18, but put any musical aspirations on hold when he joined the military. He was stationed in Germany, deployed to Afghanistan and was awarded a Purple Heart.
After his military service, Nitti joined law enforcement, and now trains new troopers at the New York State Police Academy.
Why did Tom Nitti leave 'The Voice?'
In an Instagram posted Tuesday after his departure from the competition was announced, Nitti said he had to make "probably one of the hardest yet easiest decisions ever."
He did not go into specifics, but said in the post that his kids would always come first and if he had to make the same decision again, he would "do it over and over."
He thanked "The Voice" and McEntire, who was his coach on Team Reba.
"This isn’t the end of me and I’ll do what I do best for everyone to see which is keep my head down and move forward playing music and raising/creating new memories with a family I will continue to grow," he said on Instagram.
Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tom Nitti leaves 'The Voice' Season 24, will not return to show