Jay Laga’aia has broken his silence on getting dropped from Play School in 2014 after 16 years on the successful children’s show.
The New Zealand-born actor and singer, 60, appeared on The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show and revealed how he really felt about getting the axe.
Despite his exit appearing to be amicable, Jay said the worst part about leaving the series he ‘loved’ so much, was never being contacted by his colleagues afterwards.
‘The people around that make the show, they are amazing creators because if you looked at it from the outside, you look like an idiot dancing around like a chicken,’ he began to tell host Jess Rowe.
‘But in the room they keep you safe as you create this world for our children… and for me I felt sad because, not only did they not call, but it was – you were never mentioned again.’
He continued: ‘They had their celebrations and such, and as probably the only Polynesian who has ever worked on the show itself, you felt like, “Well, what did I do wrong in order not to get called up?”‘
Jay has gone on to have a glittering career in entertainment following his successful role on Play School from 2000 to 2014.
He has starred on a number of TV shows such as Water Rats and Home and Away.
Jay has even taken a crack at Hollywood, appearing in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in the 2000s.
He also dipped his toe into reality TV by appearing on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! in 2017, during which time he flipped the table on his easygoing persona.
During his stint on the series, he blasted his campmates for acting like children during an explosive rant when they were slow to do their chores after dinner.