DigiTour is known for bringing together social media stars for music and pop culture events across the nation. Austin was part of their current Summer tour along with Baby Ariel, Dylan Dauzat, Weston Koury and Rickey Thompson. He was supposed to hit up 28 cities total, but he only made it about three-fourths of the way through the tour before getting the boot.
He announced his departure on Twitter:
Unfortunately, the powers that be have decided that I will be leaving the tour early. I really wish I understood why, but I don’t.
— Jake T. Austin (@JakeTAustin) August 15, 2016
To all of the fans, I love you always. ????
— Jake T. Austin (@JakeTAustin) August 15, 2016
Don’t let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace- Dalai Lama
— Jake T. Austin (@JakeTAustin) August 15, 2016
DigiTour also posted a note to fans on Twitter announcing that they had already found a replacement.
— DigiTour (@DigiTour) August 15, 2016
From their posts alone, things seem amicable, but there’s a lot boiling underneath the surface. Fans commenting on the posts seem to think Jake T. Austin got the boot because he had been meeting fans for free, therefore losing money for DigiTour since a portion of DigiTour’s revenue comes from VIP meet-and-greets. However, that may not totally be the case.
In fact, Austin has a track record of getting into trouble and not playing well with others. He had formerly appeared on the ABC television series The Fosters, but was mysteriously written off after two seasons. Fellow cast mates skirted the issue of his departure by saying things like, “He wasn’t the right fit.” Austin himself commented about wanting to move on to more challenging projects.
But Maia Mitchell, who plays Callie on the program, shared her true feelings when she was asked if she was disappointed that Austin left. Her response? A blunt “No.”
Austin’s role as Jesus was filled by Noah Centineo, who got nothing but praise from his co-stars.
Read more about Jake T. Austin’s 2013 DUI Arrest: