Guy Sebastian may be tired of his role as coach on The Voice, as claims emerge that the singer is a “total diva” on set.
Guy, 42, has held the coaching role for six seasons and a Voice source told Daily Mail Australia that the reality TV veteran’s temper was fraying.
“Some crew members noticed that he was more demanding this year,” the source revealed.
‘Rumours began while the show was being pre-recorded earlier this year that Guy was a total diva on set and not easy to deal with.’
They added that after six years on the reality show, the novelty of the job might be starting to get a little tiring.
“This happens when you’ve been in those chairs for too long, which is why The Voice has the highest turnover of coaches of any singing competition in the world,” they said.
“During those long days you can get irritable and, I assure you, the novelty wears off.”
Despite a high turnover of coaches (20 since the show’s debut in 2012), Guy’s tenure is second only to that of Delta Goodrem, who holds the record with eight seasons on Channel Nine.
It seems Guy Sebastian may be tired of his role as a judge on The Voice, as claims emerge that the singer is a “total diva” on set.
“Guy has been on the show for six seasons and that’s about the time most coaches retire,” the source said.
‘The Madden Brothers left after five seasons. Boy George and Kelly Rolland only stayed for four. The only other judge to stay longer was Delta Goodrem, who holds the record for eight seasons on Channel Nine.’
The source claimed one possible reason for Guy’s irritable behaviour on set was the different production values at Seven compared to when the show aired on Nine.
‘The Voice Australia also costs a lot less money these days, since it moved to Channel Seven,’ the source said.
‘The old network’s budget was huge and every day of shooting was like a rock concert.
‘The kid will remember what it was like to get that kind of rock star treatment and really notice the difference in the production.’
The source added that Guy may have found it difficult to adjust.
“You can imagine the diva-like demands of some of the international trainers when this programme started. The benefits back then were out of control,” they said.
“Some crew members noticed he was more demanding this year,” a source told Daily Mail Australia.
‘You could ask for anything and the coaches had multiple assistants who made sure every little request was met.’
A Channel Nine source told Daily Mail Australia that the network dropped the show due to rising production costs.
“One of the reasons Channel Nine dropped the show was because of rising costs,” the Nine source said. “They didn’t want to make the sacrifices that Channel Seven has made.”
‘Nine wouldn’t have wanted to pre-record the show as it is now and they didn’t think the show would work if they had scaled it back.’
The source claimed that one possible reason for Guy’s irritable behaviour on set was the different level of production quality at Seven compared to when the show aired on Channel Nine. Guy is pictured with fellow Voice contestant Adam Lambert, LeAnn Rimes and Kate Miller-Heidke.
However, the source added that Nine now regretted letting go of the popular show, claiming the network was “jealously” watching the ratings for the new season.
“Channel Nine has been regretting stopping the show and is quite jealous of the ratings, especially as The Voice Australia has beaten The Block several times in the current ratings battle,” they said.
A Voice source added that the show’s filming schedule had contributed to Guy’s “bad temper”, which was made more apparent due to fellow coaches Adam Lambert, Kate Miller-Heidke and LeAnn Rimes being new to the format.
“The Voice Australia is also made for much less money these days, since it moved to Channel Seven,” the source said. “The budget on the old network was huge and every day of filming was like a ‘rock concert’.”
“The days of filming on Channel Seven are long and you have to give 150 percent while the cameras are on,” they said.
‘Guy had the shortest temper compared to LeAnn Rimes, Kate Miller-Heidke and Adam Lambert, and that was more obvious because it was the first time all three coaches were on a singing show like this.
“I think that’s why the producers noticed a change in his behavior.”
Going further, the source also claimed that Guy had been “coaching” his co-stars on where to spend their energy on the show, which had upset producers.
“Guy often gave advice to others about how to take shortcuts and what’s worth investing energy in and what’s not,” they said.
“Guy had the shortest temper compared to LeAnn Rimes, Kate Miller-Heidke and Adam Lambert, and that was more obvious because it was the first time those three coaches were on a singing show like this,” the source added.
‘Some of the producers seemed to be a little upset by that kind of negativity.’
It was also suggested that Guy could possibly sit out a season to reinvigorate his enthusiasm for the coaching job, adding that the high fee he attracts for appearing on the show could keep him in the saddle for some time to come.
“It may be time to let Guy sit out a season, but there’s no doubt he’s the most popular judge on the show,” the source said.
‘It would be a huge gamble to see how the show would go on without him.
‘This guy has the highest price tag and that’s compared to the cost of international coaches. I wonder if he’s willing to give up that amount of money.’
Sebastian is certainly no stranger to the reality TV format, a side gig he has developed alongside a successful singing career.
After winning the inaugural 2003 season of Australian Idol, the singer went on to appear on numerous televised singing competitions, including as a mentor on the first season of the short-lived It Takes Two.
In 2010, Guy joined the cast of X-Factor, sitting in the judge’s chair alongside Natalie Imbruglia, Kyle Sandilands and Ronan Keating.
She eventually left the show after the fourth season, returning two years later alongside Chris Isaak, Dannii Minogue and James Blunt.
The Like It Like That hitmaker replaced Joe Jonas on The Voice, sitting alongside Delta Goodrem, Kelly Rowland and Boy George.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Sebastian, Channel Seven and Channel Nine for comment.
“Guy often gave advice to others about how to take shortcuts and what’s worth investing energy in and what’s not,” they said.