Graham Elliot leaving 'MasterChef' franchise

Another member of the original MasterChef judging panel is leaving the franchise.

Graham Elliot will exit the flagship Fox series and the MasterChef Junior spinoff.

“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 6 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.”

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The Chicago-based chef will finish his current run on MasterChef Junior, which is airing on Friday nights.

Producer and lone surviving original judge Gordon Ramsay had this to say: “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.”

Another founding judge, Joe Bastianich, announced he was departing the series a year ago, and then was replaced by Christina Tosi. The producers will announce a newjudge in 2016 in time for the seventh season of MasterChef.