Jonathan Ross has reflected on his 'awkward chat' with Macy Gray after she stormed off the stage on The Masked Singer.
The panelist, 64, admitted that he was 'surprised' by the American singer's tantrum which saw her walk off the stage while still dressed as a giant Toad.
She was reportedly left 'gutted' to be leaving the hit ITV show so early on in the series, with producers having to talk her into going back out to reveal her identity to the audience.
Recalling the moment, Jonathan told of how he tried to 'make her leave with a smile' and chose to cracked a joke about the show's host Joel Dommett.
Speaking in an interview with The Sun, he explained: 'I was trying to keep her engaged with it so she wouldn’t look bad. And I also wanted her to maybe leave with a smile.
'So I made some jokes about Joel to try to move the focus from what had happened and away from her. But really I was just trying to make it less difficult for her.'
He added: 'I was a little surprised at her reaction... Especially if you are a very, very, talented professional singer and you think, "Why am I going out now?" But that’s the kind of nature of it. It’s a guessing game, not a talent show.'
Last month, Macy shocked ITV viewers when she was unmasked as the Toad In The Hole on The Masked Singer UK.
The American singer performed against Bear, Wolf, Pufferfish and Bush before being voted off and having to remove her costume head to reveal her identity.
However, before Macy's identity was revealed, she walked off the stage when host Joel announced the sad news that she had to go home.
Moments later the star returned to the stage and was revealed to be American singer Macy, who did not look impressed about leaving the reality show.
Once she removed her mask, Macy had a face like thunder and couldn't hide her anger during the interview, replying to Joel's questions with blunt, one-worded answers.
Joel said it is the 'funniest thing I've ever seen in my life' as Macy, walked off the stage after the results.
Speaking to Paddy McGuinness on BBC Radio 2, Joel joked that the singer couldn't be disappointed about leaving the show early 'because you get the same money and you don't have to do anything else'.
He said: 'This is why The Masked Singer is so good, it doesn't matter if you're a good singer or if you're not, the show doesn't sit in either camp.
'The case with Macy is she is a legend, she has a recognisable voice and she might as well go because we all know it is her, and they put the other person through because we still don't know who they are.
'If you go home early though it is a win-win situation because you get the same money and you don't have to do anything else.'
He continued: 'You can't be vexed when you're dressed as a toad. In my professional career - I love Macy, she is incredible, great voice - but I have never witnessed anything more funny than a 6ft toad storming off. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life.
'And my shorts, I suggested we make them shorter for each ad break as a joke, and they did it, and when she stormed off I was in like hot pants.'
