One of the BBC's highest-paid television personalities announced Thursday he is leaving the broadcaster, 15 months after he was caught up in a scandal over lewd prank phone calls.
Talk-show host Jonathan Ross said he had decided not to renegotiate his contract when it ends in July.
Ross, 49, is one of the BBC's best-known faces, with a salary widely reported at 6 million pounds ($9.5 million) a year. The BBC won't confirm that figure.
His improvisational wit and off-color jokes have won him many fans — and many critics, who feel his routines cross the line into tastelessness.
The calls drew thousands of complaints.
Ross hosts a late-night talk show, a movie program and a weekend radio show. He said his decision was not financially motivated.
The BBC has been under pressure to reduce the high fees it gives top talent because it is a public broadcaster and the salaries are, in effect, paid by the taxpayer.