Jon Richardson reveals he has quit stand-up comedy in huge career change after divorce from Lucy Beaumont

The 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown star took to social media to provide an update to fans on his life, revealing that he would be swapping the stage for the classroom.

Jon, 42, said in a video posted to Instagram: “I just thought I'd give you a little update. I don't really social media updates and I'll tell you why, because I don't think anyone cares. But I have a little bit of news.

“I've obviously been taking a little bit of a break from stand-up and it's really made me want to carry on taking a break from stand-up.”

He revealed that after finding a diary he wrote at the age of 14 in 1997, he was reminded of an entry which read: “Although I would love to be a stand-up comedian, I’ll probably end up being a teacher.”

Jon said: “I've been thinking a lot about that and I loved being a comedian, it was absolutely the right choice, I have decided it would have been nice to try the other option.”

He revealed that he had been in training and has now taken up a teaching position, saying: “I will update you as and when I can. But that’s all from me for now, just to let you know where I’ve been. I’ll keep you posted.”

The star’s famous comedy colleagues congratulated him on the huge career move. Romesh Ranganathan said: “You’re going to be brilliant mate x”

Irish comedian Aishling Bea said: “OH MY GOD THE LUCKY CLASSROOM THAT GETS YOU JON BOY!” Josh Widdicombe also joked: “Comedy’s loss is teaching’s loss.”

The news comes after Jon’s divorce from fellow comic Lucy Beaumont in April 2024. The couple split after nine years of marriage, during which they welcomed a now eight-year-old daughter named Elsie.

Announcing their split, the former couple said in a joint statement: "We have jointly and amicably made the difficult decision to divorce and go our separate ways. As our only priority is managing this difficult transition for our daughter, we would ask that our privacy is respected at this sensitive time to protect her well-being.”