What happened to Jason Orange? Absence from Take That documentary explained

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The new Take That documentary is now available on Netflix. The streaming service had teased the film as the story of one of Britain’s most famous boy bands.

A new three-part documentary series started today, January 27th, offering an inside look at Take That. It features current members Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen, along with past interviews with Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. The series shares personal stories from the band, who achieved massive global success with over 45 million records sold and a huge fanbase.

Most people are familiar with Robbie Williams’s reasons for leaving Take That, especially after watching his documentary and the film Better Man. But the story behind Jason Orange’s departure? That’s not quite as well known, and honestly, I was really curious to learn more.

If you’re watching the new documentary, here’s a look at why Jason Orange left Take That.

Why isn’t Jason Orange in the new Take That documentary?

Although you can hear Jason Orange speaking in the documentary, he doesn’t appear on screen like the other three members of the band.

Netflix had already stated that Jason Orange wouldn’t be participating in a new interview for the documentary.

Why did Jason Orange leave Take That?

Jason Orange was part of the band Take That from 1990 to 1996 when they initially broke up. He later came back to perform with them during their 2005 reunion tour.

He stayed with the band until 2014, and then announced his complete retirement from music.

When he left the group, Orange said he’d always cherish his time with Take That and was grateful to everyone who supported him, especially his bandmates, whom he considered like family.

After finishing The Progress Tour, I started to wonder if it was time for me to leave Take That.

The band started working on new songs earlier this year with my full support. There weren’t any disagreements or conflicts; I simply decided I no longer want to continue.

In a 2023 interview with The Times, Mark Owen said he believed Jason Orange had lost interest in being in the band, but he didn’t want to presume to know Orange’s reasons.

He continued by saying that Jason’s still with us, which is great. It actually reminded me of a funny thing – the other day we were debating who was the funniest in the band, and we all remembered how Jason would always start laughing before the joke even finished! It was a classic Jason move.

What is Jason Orange up to now?

I’ve always been curious about what happened to Jason Orange after he left Take That and showbiz back in 2014. He’s really kept himself out of the spotlight, and it’s rare to catch a glimpse of him these days – he values his privacy a lot, it seems.

In 2023, Howard Donald told press that he didn’t think Orange would ever rejoin the band.

When asked about the possibility of the band becoming a five-member group again, he jokingly pointed out they’re currently only three. He suggested Robbie might rejoin, but ruled out Jason ever returning.

Want to see this content?

Okay, so here’s the deal: I’m running into a technical snag trying to access this content. Apparently, it’s blocked because of a security measure called reCAPTCHA, and it’s specifically interfering with my ability to view it while I’m logged into something called Contentpass. The quick fix? I need to sign out of Contentpass to get this to work. It’s a bit annoying, but hopefully, it’ll let me get to the good stuff after that.

Authors

Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer

Katelyn Mensah writes about entertainment for TopMob, covering everything from popular TV shows and reality competitions to important documentaries. Before joining TopMob, she worked at The Tab, where she reported on reality TV and celebrity news. She has a journalism degree.

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2026-01-27 16:35