'The Voice' contestant Ryan Gallagher mysteriously exits competition: Here's what we know

Fans of "The Voice" might have noticed a contestant was missing on Monday's episode: Ryan Gallagher.

The Team Kelly Clarkson singer, 31, was missing from the telecast without much explanation from host Carson Daly or the coaches.

"Team Kelly's Ryan Gallagher had to exit the competition," Daly said during the show, without elaborating.

What made things more peculiar was that Gallagher had tweeted about being a contestant on the show early Monday, making it seem like his exit was a last-minute decision. "Here we go America!! Never thought a small town guy like me would make it here!" he wrote.

Fans speculated that the reason for Gallagher's departure was due to a sickness in his family, since he shared earlier this season that his mother had been hospitalized with COVID-19.

In a tweet Monday evening, however, Gallagher returned to Twitter to give an update on why he wasn't on the show, ruling out a family sickness but otherwise leaving things unclear.

"Thank you everybody for the concern for my family. However, everybody's fine. That's not the cause of what happened tonight on 'The Voice'," he says in the clip. "I didn't drop out of the show, details are still to come, I'll keep you posted."

On his Instagram Stories, he also posted a photo of himself in a tuxedo with the words: "2020 you are an interesting one"

According to reports from Entertainment Tonight and Yahoo Entertainment, Gallagher was forced to leave the competition after breaking the show's strict COVID-19 protocols.

USA TODAY has reached out to "The Voice" for comment.

Monday's episode was the first live show of the season, which saw the top 17 contestants lay it all on the line.

Blake Shelton entered the playoffs with five artists, compared with the other coaches' teams of four. But Clarkson declared Shelton's reign of country is over.

"All coaches are going into the playoffs with a country singer on their team," Clarkson said. "Blake Shelton does not rule anymore."

Contributing: Cydney Henderson

'The Voice' live shows begin: Country singers dominate top 17 following Ryan Gallagher's abrupt exit

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Voice': Ryan Gallagher abruptly exits Season 19, here's why