Carmen kicked off The Voice
UPDATE: Guy Sebastian has spoken out about the scandal rocking The Voice today.
Contestant Carmen Smith was booted off the show after singing on Sebastian's new single Gold and featuring prominently in the new film clip for the song.
Sebastian took to his Twitter account to hit back at naysayers.
He weighed in on former Voice contestant Mahalia Barnes' debate with another Twitter user, saying "please do not talk about things u have no idea about. You did not read her contract".
The woman at the centre of the drama, Smith, has been silent on her official Twitter account @CarmenSmithAU.
Sebastian also spoke to Fox FM's The Matt & Jo Show this morning about his disbelief at Smith's work with him being the reason for her eviction from the show, on which his brother Chris is also a contestant, although he admitted he did not know all of the facts.
"She's been my back-up singer for about nine years now and she's been on most of my albums," Sebastian said.
"For me, all I really care about it my mate."
EARLIER: Back-up singer Carmen Smith has been kicked off The Voice after starring in Guy Sebastian's new film clip.
"The black and white music video features Smith playing tambourine, singing and dancing alongside the Idol winner, which according to Channel 9 is "an unfair advantage as the show moves into the public voting stage as the video is on current release and highly visible".
Smith will not perform in Monday's live show, meaning coach Joel Madden will only have five singers performing against Keith Urban's six.
"This was not a decision we and Team Joel took lightly.
"Our priority as we move into the voting period toward the finale is that all of the artists are on a level playing field," said Nine's director of development Adrian Swift.
"In our business we are often confronted by these tough decisions and unfortunately at this time it's been decided that it isn't appropriate for her to remain in our competition.
"We wish Carmen well and thank her for a wonderful contribution to the show thus far."
The statement released by Nine also includes a statement by Smith.
"It saddens me that I am leaving The Voice earlier much earlier than I had hoped," she said.
"However, I've loved every minute of it and respect the decision that has been made by Joel and his team.
"I've sung on Guy's albums and been part of his band for many years so I'm thrilled to be in the clip and am looking forward to getting back to work and also working on my solo career."
It is unclear what this will mean for Madden and his team but Smith's departure could result in only one of Madden's singers being eliminated after their live performances on Monday.
