James May says he will no longer host Top Gear because his colleague and co-host Jeremy Clarkson was fired. Mr. May, who made his announcement on Thursday, thought it would be inappropriate to continue the show with one of its iconic trio of hosts missing.

The show, which until recently was hosted by May, Clarkson, and Richard Hammond, is the most popular nonfiction show in the world and one of the BBC’s top moneymakers. Mr. Hammond has not yet made a statement on whether he will return to Top Gear.

Top Gear producer Andy Wilman, a longtime friend of Clarkson’s has also left the show since the host’s firing. Wilman had previously denied he would be departing.

In March, Clarkson physically and verbally assaulted producer Oisin Tymon. The physical attack drew blood and and Tymon had to be hospitalized.

This incident was only the last in a long string of controversies for Clarkson. The host has been criticized in the past for using homophobic language and making fun of the disabled.

Top Gear also recently caused a minor diplomatic dispute between Argentina and Britain. The show used a car in its Argentina special which had a license place number that was perceived by some to be a reference to the Falklands War. While this was apparently an inadvertent mistake, it caused real outrage, and the Top Gear crew had to evacuate Argentina.

Before his firing, Clarkson was on thin ice with the BBC because a Top Gear outtake was leaked in which he allegedly mumbled the “n word.” His physical assault on a producer, combined with the Argentina controversy and his history of offensive language, led to his dismissal by the network.