Graham Elliot Announces He's Leaving 'MasterChef' And 'MasterChef Junior'

Graham Elliot, TV personality and chef, has announced on Twitter that he will be leaving MasterChef and MasterChef Junior next year to move on to other ventures. Elliot has been a part of MasterChef since 2010, and MasterChef Junior since its inception in 2013. He follows in the footsteps of former host Joe Bastianich who left MasterChef  last year and was replaced by pastry chef Christina Tosi.

"It has been an awesome experience to be part of the MasterChef family," Elliot said in a statement. "I learned so much from the people I got to work with and it has been a true honor to share my love of cooking with the audiences who have allowed me into their homes over the last six years. I remain committed to using my passion for cooking as a way to entertain and teach people of all ages and will be making some exciting announcements about the next steps of that journey in the new year."

Gordon Ramsay had kind words to say about his former co-judge:

"We've all loved having Graham as part of the MasterChef family, and the exciting and interesting part of reality television is that it's always evolving and changing."

Fox has yet to announce a replacement for Elliot, but will likely do so in early 2016.