The BRIT Awards will have to find a new host, as Jack Whitehall has stepped down.

The comedian has fronted the show for the last four years, but announced he won't be back for the 2022 awards.

"Sad to say after 4 brilliant years, I’ll be handing on the baton as I'll be in the US filming another project at the top of next year," he tweeted.

jack whitehall, brit awards 2018
Getty Images

"Loved doing it so much. All the best to the new host, I pray they treat Mursy, my mixers and sweet little Nialler with the respect they deserve."

Fans instantly started speculating who could fill his shoes, with The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett (who recently hosted the NTAs) being suggested.

The BRIT Awards show is set to return on February 8, 2022 – taking place at the O2 arena in London and being shown live on ITV.

The 2021 show took place in May, with 4,000 people attending as part of the government's pilot testing scheme.

Tickets were awarded to 2,500 frontline workers to thank them for all their work across the pandemic. Performances came from Coldplay, Dup Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo.

jack whitehall hosts the brit awards 2018 held at the o2 arena on february 21, 2018 in london
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Years & Years also teamed up with Elton John for a cover of the Pet Shop Boys song 'It's A Sin'.

The performance paid tribute to the LGBTQ+ community's perseverance through the AIDS epidemic following the success of Channel 4 show It's A Sin, which included Years & Years star Olly Alexander among its cast.

Little Mix also made history on the night, becoming the first all-female group to win Best British Group.

In their acceptance speech, they said: "We have been together for 10 years. It's been the best years of our lives. We’ve gone through so much. We’ve had so much fun and made so many incredible memories.

"It's not easy being a female in the UK pop industry.

little mix, perrie edwards, jade thirlwall, leigh anne pinnock
JMEnternational/JMEnternational for BRIT Awards//Getty Images

"We've seen white male dominance, misogyny, sexism and lack of diversity. We're proud of how we've stuck together, stood our ground, surrounded ourselves with strong women and are now using our voices more than ever."

They added: "The fact that a girl band has never won this award really does speak volumes.

"So this award isn’t just for us, it's for the Spice Girls, Sugababes, All Saints, Girls Aloud, all of the incredible female bands – this one's for you!"

Lettermark
Catherine Earp

News Editor 

Catherine joined Digital Spy as News Editor in 2018, and oversees our team of freelance writers. Prior to that she worked at OK! Online, and has interviewed a slew of celebrities across her career in entertainment news, including Tom Hanks, Cheryl and Noel Fielding. 

Catherine also has specialist knowledge in all things drag, interviewing a huge portion of RuPaul’s Drag Race stars, and getting her own drag makeover for Channel 4’s show Drag SOS

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