Publicly traded Men’s Wearhouse fired its founder/executive chairman & chief TV pitchman George Zimmer and canceled its annual meeting slated today for its Fremont, Cal., headquarters.

George ZimmerThe nation's largest specialty men's apparel chain did not disclose reasons for the termination. It plans to discuss with Zimmer "the extent, if any, and terms of his ongoing relationship with the company."

For the last 18 years, the reassuring Zimmer has starred in the company’s TV ads, using his slogan: "You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it." He claims the MW's board of directors has “chosen to silence him."

Zimmer, who was CEO until 2011, built the company from a location in Houston to a chain of 1,141 stores. He has a $1M four-year deal with MW to license his image for advertising and marketing purposes.

MW says it postponed the annual meeting to re-nominate a new slate of directors without Zimmer. Date and time of the meeting will soon be announced.

The company reported a 23 percent rise in first-quarter net to $33.1M on a 5.1 percent hike in revenues to $616M.

Zimmer is working with Sard Verbinnen & Co for PR. "Over the past several months I have expressed my concerns to the Board about the direction the company is currently heading," he said in a statement. "Instead of fostering the kind of dialogue in the boardroom that has, in part, contributed to our success, the board has inappropriately chosen to silence my concerns by terminating me as an executive officer."