‘The Voice’: Team Reba Contestant Tom Nitti Reveals Why He Left the Show

Throughout the first half of Season 24 of The Voice, contestant Tom Nitti wowed coaches and audiences alike with performances that ran the gamut between soul, rock and country.

As a contestant on Reba McEntire’s team, he proved early on that he had significant traditional country chops, winning his Battle Rounds performance with a rendition of Cody Johnson’s “‘Til You Can’t.” Later on, McEntire used her Super-Save on him after he lost the Knockouts. But in late November, things took a turn: Nitti dropped out of the competition, citing “personal reasons” for his departure.

In a new interview with Utica, N.Y.’s Observer-Dispatch, Nitti explains that his decision to leave came as the result of his contentious divorce proceedings. The singer filed for divorce five months before Season 24 started airing, and during his time filming the show, the process of co-parenting with his estranged wife was becoming increasingly more acrimonious.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to pursue music full time, but I can’t do that without a cushion,” Nitti says. “As a dad, I need to make sure my children will be supported.”

One of Nitti’s closest friends on The Voice was Jacquie Roar, who defeated him in the Knockouts before McEntire’s Super-Save kept him on the show. After realizing that Nitti wasn’t celebrating being able to stay on the show, he remembers, she checked in with him.

“I spilled my guts,” Nitti explains. “I told her about how I had just received an email from my lawyers urging me to come home because my ex-wife was going after primary custody.

“I made this choice not because I missed my kids, but because I couldn’t imagine losing them,” he continues. “I am happy with the decision I made, but should it have come to that point? Absolutely not.”

Nitti also expressed his continuing friendship with the rest of The Voice‘s Season 24 crop and spoke about how McEntire had continued to take an interest in fostering his talent and ensuring that he was “hangin’ in there.”

“Reba is the most genuine person — she is the same on TV as she is in real life,” Nitti says.

Earlier this week, McEntire spoke about Nitti’s departure from the show, confirming that they’d remained in touch after his departure.

“We’ve been emailing back and forth, and all of our hearts went out to him ’cause he couldn’t finish the competition,” she said. “He is so strong. So good. So he’s gonna be watching and cheering all of us on, but our hearts are with him.”

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Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak